Anima Mala
by Sen Kotoba
Summary: It was only supposed to be a routine trip to Aurnion. What Flynn found there nearly killed him. And that was only the beginning. (Yuri/Flynn, Yuri/Judith, Rita/Estelle)
1. Chapter 1

Somehow they had gotten ahead of him. He was certain he had far outpaced them on his mount, and yet here they were. The twang of a bowstring and a flash of pain as an arrow grazed his ear made a cold lump of fear settle in his stomach. They had stripped the dead of their arms and were using them against him now. With gritted teeth and a swipe of his sword to clear a path, he managed to urge his tired mount forward. With how it was faltering, it had to be close to foundering, but if it could just hold out a little more-! The sailor's encampment couldn't be that far off. If he could make it just a little further, to the boat, he could make it back to Zaphias-

The mount screamed under him and collapsed, tossing him. While his armor was perfect for deflecting things such as arrows and swords, it was made abundantly clear that falling from heights made him merely a man in a tin can being dashed around. His sliding along the ground was stopped abruptly, but he could not call it gratefully as it came at the expense of a large boulder, his back crashing quite painfully into the rock. Slowly, he levered himself up, watching his mount fighting against the armed mob as it was trained to do. It wheeled awkwardly to try to keep up with the circle forming around it, the arrow sprouted ugly from its flank hindering its movement. It hopped around in an ungainly circle, lashing out at the clumsy attempts. He looked around for his sword, thankful that their attention had shifted to his mount long enough for him to find the weapon that had clattered out his hand when he had hit the ground. It hadn't gone far - he found himself hoping that the overwhelming odds he found himself in would be reversed at this - and thus armed, he entered the fray of combat.

His hopes seemed to be, at first, gravely misplaced. Whatever they had embedded in their flesh seemed to work exactly like a blastia, honing and enhancing their physical attributes. While he certainly was and never had slacked in that department, even when he had a blastia of his own, it showed the wide gulf between what a normal human being could hope to attain on his own versus what a blastia could give. But the blastia were gone- and what they had acted upon their mental state in a way blastia did, no, _could_ not, even when they existed. He had managed to cut down a few of the attackers; even without the blastia he had come to rely on, he was still a professional soldier that had seen far more combat than even his own men. Helping save the world would do that. He found himself wincing at each blow through flesh, having to tell himself they were attacking him first. Though they were villagers of a town he was sworn to protect, they had attacked and killed his own men and were trying to kill him, he was only protecting himself-

And then his thoughts scattered as pain blossomed across his skull, red bleeding through his vision from back to front. The offending weapon thumped down in front of him: a stupid, simple rock, stained crimson with his blood. He stared at it dumbly for precious seconds before a careless sword strike to his armored shoulder snapped him out of it. He was _better_ than that, and that sort of behavior was going to get him killed! The ring of mad villagers tightened around him, men and women alike staring at him with blank empty gazes. He still couldn't make out exactly what it was that was in their skin, crawling from a starting point in their torsos across their limbs and up their throats and faces. One man he faced had an eye covered completely, and he swallowed back sudden bile as he realized as the stone was slightly translucent, the eye barely visible under the glowing black substance.

Then, inexplicably, the circle dispersed. He had little time to wonder how, or why, when a familiar, dreadful whistling sound filled the air. The only thing he could thank was none of them could aim, and the arrows scattered around him and his mount harmlessly. Blastia-like the stone was, it didn't impart any amount of skill. If he took this opening, he could make it to safety and escape-

Something had grown out of his shoulder, his sword arm. No, it had _punched_ through his armor, as impossible as that was for it to do through the plates. Arrows weren't supposed to puncture plate armor like that, he thought as he looked down at the shaft protruding from him as he stumbled back. He looked up as he saw the man, the one with one eye covered, now holding a bow in his hands. Even now, he was pulling the string back again, aiming another arrowing a little higher, easily at his head.

And then he lowered the bow as the circle closed in on him again, the gaze of the villagers eerily blank as they reached out for him.

* * *

_Three months earlier_

Flynn _hated_ the administrative side of his job.

It was time for the annual visit to Aurnion, and the paperwork was simply ridiculous. He was taking a small unit with him, though he would prefer to do the journey alone. It would show more trust, but monster attacks had become more brutal lately, and without blastia, it was more intelligent to rely in strength in numbers. And so that meant filling out paperwork about who was coming based on who was active versus on leave, seeing fit to their weapons and armor, setting up a boat and departure times… he wondered why he ever thought he wanted to gain the title of Commandant as he slowly read another form, absently reaching out to dip his quill in the ink pot.

Which was dry. Flynn barely held back the urge to throw his quill at the wall (only because he wasn't sure he'd find it again and he'd be told that was the last one he was getting) and stood, wincing as the stiffness in his joints let him know how long he had spent on that paperwork. It was probably a good thing, then, making him get up and move around. Any amount of time away from the soul-sucking evil that was administration was good. He honestly had no idea how Lady Estellise or her cousin did it day in and out.

The walk was needed, more than the ink pot he fetched. Flynn found himself smiling, his limbs moving far more loosely as he greeted the passing nobles and guards on his way back. The shadow of paperwork had temporarily lifted, making the door to his room even more dreadful. He sighed, imagining how the pile had bred and grown, and wondered if there was any way to pass it off to someone else. Then guilt nagged at him - why would he do such a thing? It was bad enough that he had to endure it. He didn't have to inflict it upon anyone else. Flynn shook his head, and entered his room, the door shutting firmly behind him.

"About time. I was wondering if you were going to stand out there all day." Yuri didn't even get up from his sprawl on Flynn's bed, and the Commandant wondered when he stopped being surprised about his best friend suddenly appearing in his bed. He wasn't even aware Yuri was in Zaphias - wasn't Brave Vesperia on a job? He saw the thoroughly exhausted and satisfied smile, and yes. They had been. It was strange how Flynn could still read Yuri like this. "So, they got you pushing papers now?"

Belatedly, Flynn noticed that he was gripping the pot of ink almost to breaking, and carefully put it down. "I didn't think you were in Zaphias," he said cautiously, not sure why Yuri was _here_. Well, if he was honest, he knew why. And he was more than willing for the distraction, as he really didn't want to return to the paperwork.

"Job finished early." Yuri sat up, his lips curving easily into a suggestive smile. "So I have some free time, and you are wearing far too many clothes."

Well. He wasn't going to argue with that. With a clatter, Flynn's armor and clothes starting hitting the floor in a rare haphazard heap, and Yuri's smile turned into a grin. He could see the teasing in the curve of the lips, and he didn't feel like explaining that he needed this. It had been a while; Brave Vesperia had been busier than ever, and Flynn focused hard on trying to pull the kingdom together from his side after the loss of the blastia. The little snatches they could have together were too rare, and not enough. He lowered a heated glance down between Yuri's legs, noticing a straining tent in his pants. It seemed it had been not enough for the swordsman as well. "Why are you still wearing clothes, Yuri?" Flynn asked as his gaze turned back up to his face, his voice tight and husky with the need to rip those clothes off that muscular body.

The laugh that escaped Yuri's throat was only slightly free, and mostly echoed the hungry need in Flynn's voice. "Just enjoying the view," he said with a shrug before starting to strip. If Yuri put his mind to it, he could strip quite sensually (and that had been a birthday to remember), but usually he removed clothes with the same efficiency that Flynn did. For some reason, that caused lust to punch him harder in the gut than any professional could, and Flynn kicked his underwear off to one side without thinking about where it would land so he could pin his partner with a deep kiss.

One would have thought that shirtless, hands on his pants, Yuri would have been taken by surprise by this. But Flynn knew better, knew he had probably manipulated him to get this reaction, and instead just opened his mouth and started wrestling for dominance of the kiss. Flynn slid one hand into Yuri's hair, nails scraping against his scalp as his fingers tangled in the strands and gripped, taking back the kiss. It was always how this went: there was always something setting Flynn off, Yuri trying to be in control, but never trying too hard. It was the game they indulged in. Today, Yuri seemed to been in a more silly mood as his hands reached around and squeezed Flynn's ass, once, twice. The hand tangled in his dark hair tightened, almost in retaliation as Flynn slid a leg up between Yuri's clothed ones. His lips broke the kiss, sliding across Yuri's jaw and opening to allow teeth to scrape across his throat. Flynn could feel the apple in his throat bob as Yuri swallowed, the slightly rough treatment of his neck always a favorite of his. The wandering hands made their way up from the curve of Flynn's backside, losing their playfulness as Flynn scattered his mind with lips, tongue, and teeth to his neck and shoulders, leaving a line of suckled and bitten marks. Finally, he relinquished his grip on Yuri's hair to move downward, both hands needed to keep him upright as he licked a line down the swordsman's chest.

There were some days he relished truly destroying Yuri's mind like this, until he was nearly begging for release. They never went that far; Flynn never felt comfortable with it, and he doubted he could even get Yuri to beg. But how close they got, to Yuri threatening him if he didn't finish, to the absolute wrecked noises from his throat… some days, he couldn't get enough of that. And some days, he would need to get Yuri as naked as possible, as fast as possible, and fuck him _now_. Today was the second situation, and Yuri's pants went flying to locations unknown within the confines of Flynn's room as Flynn reached over him to root around in his end table drawer. Gel Bases were acceptable if one was occasionally having sex, but after becoming very sexually active, Flynn had learned to keep a bottle of good oil by his bedside. It had not only made the actual act so much better, but the day after (if he had decided he wanted to ride Yuri that time) so much easier.

Hm, riding Yuri… no, he needed to sit after this. Despite everything, he did need to finish the paperwork. Instead, after coating his fingers, he eased one into the swordsman, unable to keep from smirking as Yuri hissed at the cold temperature. His legs readily opened to him as the oil warmed, his hands twisting in Flynn's sheets as he worked fingers quickly in, trying to stretch him as fast as possible. A laugh bubbled deep in Yuri's chest as he looked down at Flynn, his thoughts coming back together behind the haze of lust. "Can't wait, huh?"

"There are better things you can do with your mouth," Flynn warned him, his fingers stabbing upward viciously, pressing into that spot he knew would make Yuri's teeth click shut on a whine rising in his throat and eyes roll back as his chin lifted. He had quieted him that way before, but he hadn't quite realized that Yuri did like and was very good at giving blow jobs. Coming down Yuri's throat would interrupt his plan to fuck the swordsman silly. So instead, Flynn pulled his hand free and lifted Yuri's legs, guiding himself in and stopping as the sudden heat and pressure made him gasp. He could do this every day and still not be used to this feeling, the tight wonderfulness around him. Before Yuri could rib him about it, Flynn shifted his hips, rolling slightly until he heard the dark haired swordsman's breath inhale sharply.

There. That was the right angle. It was when Flynn looked up, meeting Yuri's dark, lust filled eyes, when he himself became undone, his movements losing all semblance of coordination as he tumbled over the edge. He could feel Yuri's legs tightening around him as the pleasure of his climax rushed through his veins, trembling as he followed closely behind.

Silence filled the room, almost tangible in the wake of so much noise. Flynn slowly released Yuri's legs, resting his head against his friend's shoulder as he relaxed. It felt… nice, the time between fucking Yuri senseless and having to reassume the role of Commandant. There was a soft pressure on his back - Yuri tracing meaningless designs. "How's Judith?" Flynn asked, the motions starting to make him drowsy.

Yuri's fingers paused. "Judy's fine," he said, his voice suddenly cautious. "You always ask that when I'm here."

"Why wouldn't I?" Flynn lifted his head, looking at him with confusion. "You are still sleeping with her as well, right?"

Abruptly, Yuri sat up, dislodging Flynn from his comfortable resting position. "Yeah, about that. What was that you said about how people wouldn't take you seriously if they found out you were sleeping with a guy so we should get girlfriends? You haven't exactly lived up to your end and you're practically throwing me at Judy."

Flynn made a frustrated face. This wasn't the easiest thing to explain, especially to someone who didn't care who he slept with. He just didn't trust _anyone_ in his bed. "There aren't that many women I would trust," he tried. "It would just make it worse if it came out that I was sleeping with Judith as well, and I'm pretty certain Lady Estellise has zero interest in men." His position as Commandant was precarious to begin with, given his age and lack of nobility. If they found out about Yuri… Judith wasn't exactly a cover for Yuri, since the lust, at least, was real for both of them. But Flynn certainly did need that cover, that protection for his position.

"And you're embarrassed to be seen with a guild member." Yuri's voice was hard.

"What?" Flynn jumped slightly, looking over as the swordsman got up, snagging a towel and wiping off the sweat and come off his body. "Yuri, you know that isn't it."

"It isn't?" Yuri started getting dressed, plucking his pants off the doorknob where they had landed, and paused only long enough to pluck Flynn's underwear off his sword and throw it in his face. "Looks pretty much like you're trying to hide the fact the squeaky clean Commandant is with a guild member. Suddenly too good to be seen with me now that the danger's passed and you've gotten the position you've always wanted?"

Flynn stood, starting to get dressed himself. "That is not it!"

Yuri raised his hand, his shirt half on. "Save it. When you actually want to be seen with me, let me know." Instead of bothering to fasten his belt properly and at least half close the shirt, he left it flapping open as he grabbed his sword and swung out the window, leaving Flynn with his hands gripping his pants half up his thighs.

With a growl, Flynn yanked his pants the rest of the way on, letting Yuri leave. It wasn't going to make anything better if he went after him. Yuri just didn't understand the situation he was in. He wasn't embarrassed to be seen with him, not in the least. If things were different… he wouldn't be introducing Yuri at court because that would be a disaster, but he would be kissing him goodbye in public. He would be acknowledging it. But it wasn't different. He couldn't let it jeopardize his position, his dreams. _Their_ dreams. Flynn started pulling on his armor, sighing.

And on top of that, he still had the paperwork to finish. He knew, if it could talk, it would be taunting him right about him. He picked up the quill, and envisioned snapping it in half, snapping it half again, and tossing it across the room, last quill he was getting be damned. The urge was so strong the feather shook, then was set back down before he ran his hand through his hair. No, he still had to Aurnion. Which meant sitting down, picking the quill up, and finishing the damned paperwork.

… had it actually grown since he last saw it?


	2. Chapter 2

It had gone silent. Cacophony of shouts and fighting had stopped to a ringing silence, leaving only the dull thump of his heart to echo in his ears. He could escape now. That kind of quiet - it was the silence of the damned, of the dead. He could just stand, make a run for the shore and the boat that should still be waiting-!

Limbs folded under him as he attempted, crashing into what remained of the meager allotment of food they had given him for the past two days. The chains around his arms and legs rattled and held firm, breaking more blisters around his wrists as they pulled taunt. No, he had to pool his strength first. He could make it out.

He could make it out.

* * *

Repede flattened his ears as he looked at Yuri, never having liked the sound of steel against stone as he sharpened his sword. But what else was he going to do? There were no jobs for him to do, he kinda wasn't allowed in the bars in Dahngrest right now (Karol had told him if he got into one more drunken fight, he was out of the guild), and Flynn still hadn't contacted him to apologize. That was rare, given that at some point Flynn did at least write some sort of letter to let him know what was going on in Zaphias from his point of view every few weeks. Must have really struck a nerve last time he was there, if Flynn hadn't said anything in three months.

He felt a pressure on his sleeve, Repede having taken it in his mouth and firmly pulling one arm away. "You know you can just get up and leave," Yuri told him, putting the stone down and reaching out to ruffle his ears. "Don't worry, we'll have a job soon. Or we'll go out hunting. We'll do something useful, okay?" Repede rubbed his head into the gesture, and Yuri laughed slightly, putting his sword down to use both hands.

Which was when the knock came at his door, making Repede stand and give him a "oh yeah, by the way" look. Judging by how rapid the knocking was, and the urgent boyish voice crying his name, Yuri figured that his prediction about the job was coming true faster than he thought. "Hey, Boss," he greeted him with a grin, swinging his door open. His lips quickly turned downward to a more neutral position as he realized that Karol's excitement wasn't of a happy type, and the letter in his hand was on better paper than usual. "What's up?"

"Yuri, when was the last time you talked to Flynn?"

That wasn't what he was expecting. Yuri blinked, letting Karol into his room. Repede instantly walked over to his favorite corner, turned around into a ball, and laid down comfortably. Some days, the human did envy his dog's blase attitude to the world around him. Karol took the invitation in, handing the job offer to Yuri as he passed by. "We might have trouble," was all he said, voice grim.

Yuri snatched the paper, skimming it quickly, then rereading it slowly when he couldn't believe what he saw the first time. "This is a joke," he said finally, crumpling the offer. "Or someone trying to stir up trouble between the guilds and the Empire again and using us to do it." The next words faded as Karol shook his head.

"Rita brought it, and the seal was Ioder's." Karol nodded as Yuri's breath inhaled sharply, releasing on an explosive curse. "When did you and Flynn last see each other?"

Yuri looked down at the crumpled piece of expensive paper in his hand, starting to feel various organs inside his body lurch in unease. "Three months ago. He was doing paperwork before his usual trip to Aurnion. Damn it. They haven't had any contact with his unit at all?"

The teen shook his head. "That's what we're going to go to Zaphias to find out, if we're going to take the job. You in?"

Flynn's unit hadn't had contact for three months. There had been no contact, not even trade, with Aurnion in the same amount of time. Yuri knew this mission; Flynn had taken it before, and it had never taken more than a month, at most. And most disturbing of all, Ioder had asked specifically that Yuri be one that come along. The implications made ice prickle through Yuri's veins. "Yeah. I'm in. Who else is coming?"

* * *

It didn't surprise him that none of the newer members of the guild decided to come along. They had joined because they had heard of Brave Vesperia's deeds, how they saved the world. What Flynn had done, his role... they didn't know how important it was. They didn't know the significance of what this could mean. It had surprised him that Karol or Repede hadn't come along, but at the same time he knew someone had to babysit the kiddies. Though, Yuri thought with a chuckle as Ba'ul flew him through the air, when he had considered a man older than his boss a kid...

"It should be an hour before we set down at Zaphias," came the husky voice behind him, a deceptively slender arm wrapping around his waist. Judy's chin rested on his shoulder as she continued to speak. "And we are alone." Her voice was light, but Yuri could tell there was another current hiding there. She was ruthless in getting what she wanted, and she would use lust soaked words to do it.

He turned slightly, angling his head downward to rest his nose against hers. "So we are. What naughty, nasty, possibly not safe for the kiddies things did you want to talk about?" There was a possibility she was alluding to actually having sex. It wasn't rare that her ruthlessness covered pinning him to the nearest flat surface and riding him until they were both satisfied. But when Judy didn't smirk at him, didn't slide her long fingers under his half open shirt, he let go of the idea that the hour would be spent writhing in pleasure.

Instead, she slid around him, letting go to put a hand to her chin. "Have you heard of any rumors of pirates or bandits in the area around Aurnion?"

"No." The thought they had been ambushed had crossed his mind. It was a more believable thought than the one in the job offer, though even then it was still pretty incredulous. Flynn had helped them save the world; mere pirates or bandits wouldn't be able to take him down. "And if they had, there's a pretty good chance Flynn wouldn't have lost."

Judy nodded, obviously having not held too much faith in that thought herself. "And weather? Do we know if any of the sailors have come back yet?"

Yuri shook his head. "Karol didn't know either." There could be so many reasons for the lack of contact, and why the soldiers hadn't returned in triple the amount of time it usually took. Too many, including one whispering nasty words in the back of his head. Instead of dwelling on them, he gathered the Krityan in his arms, gauging her reaction as his lips curled into a suggestive smirk.

In response, Judy lifted an eyebrow. That was good; if she wasn't in the mood, he would be nursing a sore wrist right about now. She made it very unambiguous when she wasn't interested. If all he got was a raised eyebrow... "Do you really think you can make me come before Ba'ul sets us down?"

There it was. Yuri didn't want to think about Flynn right now, the fight they had when he last saw the Commandant, what his lack of contact could really mean. He wanted a distraction, and Judy was more than willing to give him the challenge. His chin rose as he brushed her hair and antennae away from her neck, leaning in to tease her skin with a light touch of lips and tongue. She hummed slightly at that, tilting her head away to allow him access. Unlike other times, she didn't follow it up with undoing his belt or unhooking her top. It seemed this time it was all up to him to make her scream.

With a smirk, he kissed his way down her chest, suckling at the breast swelling over her top. The way her breath inhaled at that made his pants just that much tighter, even if she gave him a smack on the shoulder for it. "Don't leave any marks," was all she said, voice mild.

"Your wish is my command." Yuri gave her a cheeky smile as he knelt before her, rolling his dark eyes up to meet hers as he licked a line down her muscled stomach. Her lashes lowered as she watched him, her legs shifting and widening her stance. While he would love to drop his own pants and pull her down on top of her, he knew that would take longer than what he had in mind. They would set down before she could even come close. Instead, he ducked under her skirt, licking a wet line up one well formed thigh, barely surprised that she had elected not to wear anything underneath her skirt today. Or perhaps she had removed her underwear before coming to talk to him, which she had done before. Long fingers tangled in his hair as Judy chuckled, her voice slightly breathy. He could feel her leg quiver slightly as he kissed her, switching sides and completely ignoring the eager area between her thighs for the moment. His lips and tongue worshiped the well built muscle of her other leg, then briefly scraped his teeth across her well loved flesh before darting in betwixt her legs and planting a kiss under the curls there.

"Mm." Judy shifted her legs further apart, encouraging him to slide a hand up to massage her thigh as his tongue teased her, flicking the nub lightly. Once he stopped teasing, he felt her curl around him as his fingers worked just as quickly as his mouth. And then her back arched without warning, her entire lower body tightening around him as she came with a wordless cry. Once Yuri felt he could pull his hand free without losing a finger to that vise grip, he gave her clit one last kiss and felt her jerk at the sensation before resting on his heels. He was way too turned on to try to stand after that, and he wanted to look up at her while licking his fingers clean. There was something about looking up at someone while licking their come off your hand. Judy smiled down at him, moving as if she was about to kneel and help him with something, then she looked over at something. "Hm. It looks as if we're descending."

With a heave of effort, Yuri hauled himself to his feet and saw the familiar landscape surrounding Zaphias coming closer. "Damn," he muttered under his breath, feeling his erection twitch forlornly in his pants. "Time passes when you're having fun."

* * *

It was a stroke of luck that Ioder didn't want to make a spectacle of their arrival and the job. He and Judy were lead down the halls past the audience hall to the study, away from any gossiping eyes and ears. It was more intimate of a setting, and they didn't have to stand on any stupid ceremony, but Yuri was a little uncomfortable as he saw Estelle and Ioder waiting for them there, both of their faces lightning slightly as a servant announced their presence. He could still smell Judy if he breathed deep.

"I'm sorry we couldn't ask you to visit over more pleasant times," Estelle said, giving him a hug and an odd glance as she pulled back, her nose twitching. Yuri flushed, knowing she was well acquainted with that scent. Instead of commenting, she turned to greet Judy as well, then went to stand by her cousin's side.

Ioder looked between the two members of Brave Vesperia represented, his slight frame grave. "We have reason to believe that there might be a coup," he started, making Yuri start and curse.

"No fucking way." Yuri held up a hand. "There has to be something. Weather, pirates, bandits..." he trailed off as both Estelle and Ioder shook their heads with varying degrees of sorrow.

"We all thought so at first. None of us wanted to believe so at first, but there's nothing to support that." Ioder circled around his desk, shifting his papers until he found the ones he was looking for. "This is the report from the ship that returned from Aurnion."

Yuri snatched the papers from Ioder's hand, reading it with riding trepidation as Judy leaned over his shoulder. The weather seemed perfect and the sea calm, and everything should have gone perfectly. There were no reports of any bumps at all as the unit left the shore, no sounds of a battle.

Until a week later. Until well after Flynn should have arrived in Aurnion. One sailor even reported seeing what appeared to be a mounted soldier fighting the villagers, and the description sounded far too much like the Commandant for Yuri's own liking. "This could be the villagers attacking and Flynn defending himself," Yuri said weakly, knowing already it wasn't plausible. Untrained civilians against a professional soldier that helped saved the world? Even if they had blastia, it would be a stretch.

"We've considered that possibility as well. The report goes on to state it appears he was rounding them up, not escaping." Yuri felt Judy's hand on his shoulder as he closed his eyes. He didn't want to believe that Flynn have snapped like that, fallen in the same way the previous Commandant had.

"Why are you asking me?" he asked harshly, his eyes snapping open. "Why not Sodia, or Witcher? Why not one of your own soldiers?"

"They were part of his unit," Estelle told him softly. "He never went anywhere without them. And... he's your friend. He loves you. If he's... he'll listen to you."

There it was. Yuri took a deep breath, understanding. They didn't want to kill Flynn any more than he did, though he had a feeling they knew it was a distinct possibility. He was pretty certain that Estelle was being a little starry-eyed about his relationship with Flynn, but he would try. And if he couldn't stop him... Yuri had made the promise to do the things Flynn couldn't, and to stop him if he followed Alexei's path of darkness. His eyes met Ioder's, and he nodded, once.

* * *

The flight to Aurnion from Zaphias took much less time than the one from Dahngrest, even if they circled around to land away from the town in a spot where they wouldn't be seen immediately. On the entire trip, there was no sexy banter or even talking between the two members of Brave Vesperia. Instead, the time was spent thinking and preparing. What would they find there?

The possibilities were terrifying.

As soon as they disembarked, Yuri felt a hand on his arm. "Are you willing to go through with this?" came the soft, almost cold voice from behind him. It sounded brittle, fragile, hiding her own fear at the situation that the worst would come to pass.

He reached over, covering Judy's hand. "I made a promise. Several, actually. And I'm going to keep them to him." Yuri turned, faking a smile, watching as her own lips turned in a humorless smile.

The walk to Aurnion passed in tense silence, broken only by the occasional monster. It was a bit of a hike, longer than Yuri had expected. He hadn't thought they were landing that far away from the town, and almost wondered for a moment if they would have to make camp and make this trip a two day event instead of the one he had originally thought before he started to see the roofs of the buildings.

And smell the scent of dead bodies.

He and Judy shared an uneasy glance once the rotten meat scent hit them, neither of them sure what to make of it. If there had been executions... they instantly moved off any recognizable paths, sticking to cover as they moved closer to the town and the unsurety within. When they finally reached Aurnion... they found all their caution had been for naught.

There were no survivors.

Yuri stood still, trying to make sense of the scene before him as Judy closed her eyes. Judging by the decay, the soldiers had been dead longer than the villagers, and possibly by their hands months ago. The weapons in the villagers' hands or embedded in other villagers were definitely military, stripped from the dead. The villagers themselves hadn't been dead that long... by the fact some of the blood hadn't dried, Yuri wouldn't doubt less than a day. But most disturbing of all was the stone. It looked like blastia, almost, but it covered the faces of almost every single villager in Aurnion, even the children. In some cases, it covered the mouth and noses completely, making Yuri's stomach turn as he realized those people must have died not able to breathe. Dying fighting was one thing, but dying from something embedded in skin growing over your mouth and nose...

"Did you see Flynn anywhere?" he asked Judy once they finished taking a quick look around, his throat thick with horror. He hadn't seen the Commandant among the dead, and as she shook her head, he had to swallow back bile. Something was desperately wrong if Flynn couldn't be found. They started to take another look around, gingerly moving corpses in case they were hiding another body when Yuri heard a rattling noise from a nearby storage shed. "Did you hear-?"

Judy nodded, her polearm already in hand as she moved toward the shed. Yuri took up position opposite of her, sword out as he heard something scrape behind the door. It wasn't even locked, leaving even more of a bad feeling writhing in his gut. The noises paused, and the two of them looked at each other, nodding before Yuri kicked in the door.

What was revealed made even less sense than the dead. It came to Yuri in flashes - a plate of food, and what appeared to be crumbs left. A cup, knocked over and a thin trickle of water coming from it. Chains, looping from a post on the floor to blistered and bleeding wrists. Gaunt wrists, as if who they belonged to had rarely been fed in the past few months. The entire naked figure looked wasted away, starved. There was the broken shaft of an arrow in a shoulder, looking angry and red. When his face finally tilted back, uncomprehending of who had opened the door with such force, the sword in Yuri's hand clattered to the floor as the pieces slammed together.

"Flynn," he breathed.


	3. Chapter 3

Hands. It hurt, sudden touches over his body. He tried to lash out, but the chains limited his limbs, kept him from reaching the eyes his fingers sought. He could barely move like this, and slumped into the tortuous exploration.

Maybe this would be the day they would finally kill him.

* * *

Yuri's breath caught in his throat as Flynn stopped fighting him, listening to him breathe harshly in exertion. "Did you find the keys?" he asked over his shoulder, unable to raise his voice higher than a whisper. He wanted to shout, to scream, but there was no one to scream at. No one to fight. Anyone that could have done this was outside, dead. Flynn had always been broader than him, more muscular, but now- Yuri could count his ribs and each knob of his spine. What were you supposed to do when you found someone half starved? He fumbled for his pack, pulling out a waterskin and searching for a sandwich, jumping slightly as Judy tapped him on the shoulder, holding the keys.

"I'm going to get Ba'ul," she told him, her voice just as falsely quiet. Her mien was closed off, but he could see her arm vibrate with anger. "He won't make the walk back. Yuri-"

"I'll be fine alone." He kneeled next to Flynn, taking the keys and searching for the lock as she left. His teeth grit as the Commandant flinched away from his touch, unable to believe it. This wasn't supposed to happen. At most, it was supposed to be a misunderstanding, and Flynn was supposed to laugh it off when they came by. The worst was supposed to be killing him, not... not this. Not seeing him wasted away, chained up like an animal, half mad and unaware of the world around him. The chains slithered away as he unlocked them, and Flynn dove for the door, scrambling on limbs too weak from lack of subsistence and disuse to hold his weight for long. "Flynn!" Yuri's voice rang out, concern making it sound too loud in the small shed. "It's okay, it's just me!"

Flynn didn't listen, instead just continuing his scramble for the door. Yuri stood, overtaking him a few quick steps and pulling him close, pinning his arms to his sides. An enraged and barely human snarl escaped Flynn's lips as he fought to escape, strangely strong despite his weakened appearance. But the strength was quickly sapped, the two of them sliding to the floor as Flynn's legs gave out on him. Yuri shifted so the blond Commandant was resting against him, his head against his chest, trying to think of something to say.

"You can hear me, right?" he finally said, his voice barely higher than a murmur. "Look, I'm going... I'm going to let go of you to get some water, okay?" Yuri loosened one arm, fishing behind him for the waterskin, hoping it wasn't too far away. If he stretched, he could barely feel it, he could- there. "C'mon, Flynn, open your mouth... not the best water, but it's got to be better than what they were giving you." He pressed the skin against Flynn's lips, tilting it- then pulled it back abruptly as he snapped at it, teeth clacking. "Whoa. Calm down, it's okay. I won't hurt you. It's me, Yuri. I promise, I won't hurt you."

Something made him pause, and Flynn tilted his head back, a hint of sanity crossing through his eyes. "Yuri?" he repeated, his voice as weak as the rest of him.

"Yeah! Yes, it's me." He couldn't help himself - Yuri leaned down, pressing a kiss to Flynn's dirty brow. "It's me. And Judy's here too, well, nothere here. She's gone to tell Ba'ul what's going on and bring him closer. You're going home, Flynn."

A pause, then there was an odd noise. It took Yuri a moment to figure out that Flynn was laughing, curling up on himself. "It's too good to be true," he muttered to himself. "It's another dream. Just... another dream." He continued to mutter to himself, the words turning intelligible as the bottom dropped out of Yuri's stomach. How long had Flynn been trying to escape? How long had he dreamt of breaking free, or of someone coming and freeing him? Yuri pulled him closer, unable to say anything. He couldn't even apologize; what would he say? They all sounded so fake and unconvincing. Flynn's words slowly ran to a stop, unable to keep talking for long as he slipped into unconsciousness. And honestly, at this point, it would probably be the best place for him right now. Yuri brushed back a lock of matted hair, starting to realizing that he probably hadn't been bathed at all in the three months he had been locked up. He certainly was dirty and smelled enough for it.

"What happened here?" he whispered, trying not to wake him up. Then he blinked, not sure if he saw it correctly. Gently, still trying not to wake Flynn, he moved his friend's arm away from his chest, bile rising as he saw what was embedded there.

It was the same stone that the villagers had on their faces. Black, shiny, only this time it glowed as if from some internal source. And unless he was mistaken, it rested directly over Flynn's heart, as if it had replaced it like an alternate heart blastia. Yuri hesitantly touched the slick stone, flattening his hand over it as his teeth grit over an unending cry of rage. It looked nothing like any Hermes Blastia he had seen before, strangely organic and yet completely foreign. Everything he had endured, had it been because of the neglect and torture, or was it this thing? The urge to rip the stone out of Flynn's chest violently seized him, and Yuri had to pull his hand away before he did anything he regretted.

The shadows grew long as the sun set before Yuri heard the sound of Ba'ul flying overhead. He looked down at Flynn, wondering if he should wake him or if he should just pick him up and carry him. He wouldn't be able to walk, and Yuri doubted he'd be able to make it even with help. And he did look like he needed a true rest. But if he woke up, disoriented and in someone's arms with that madness gripping him... Yuri gently nudged him, trying to wake him up. "Hey. Flynn."

He knew when Flynn woke when his fingers suddenly darted for his eyes, intent on blinding him. Yuri grabbed his wrists, trying not to react when his hands encountered blistered and broken flesh. He'd have to get an Apple or Lemon Gel out of his pack before they left. His eyes strayed to the arrow in his shoulder, and he repressed a shudder. Definitely a Lemon Gel or two. "It's okay. They're dead. It's me, Yuri." Flynn responded to that name before, maybe he would again. "I'm not going to hurt you. It's okay, Flynn." Slowly, he stopped fighting him, more out of exhaustion this time than recognition. Yuri took a deep breath, trying not to be discouraged by that. "Judy's here. She and Ba'ul just flew over. I'm going to pick you up now."

"I'm not a child," came the muttered response, and Yuri barked out a startled laughter at that.

"I'm still going to pick you up," he said, his words a little more free and less cautious. "Just so you don't start to think it's someone trying to hurt you and freak out on me again." Yuri shifted his hands to pick him up when he heard someone moving around outside the shed and tensed, instead moving away from Flynn to reach for his fallen sword. He could see Flynn rile as well, coiling to strike as a familiar shapely Krityan came into view, her arms holding a bundled, slightly dirty sheet. "Flynn, it's just Judy!" Yuri grabbed him as he lunged at the perceived threat, not even registering what or who it was. He saw Judy take a half step back, one hand making an aborted reach for her spear before Yuri pulled Flynn back. The two Brave Vesperia members stared at each other as Flynn struggled, exhausting his meager energy and sagged in Yuri's arms. "As I was saying, it's just Judy. She's not going to hurt you either."

"It'll be night soon," she followed up quietly, not yet moving closer to them. "It's cold enough during this time of year without clothes, and it'll be colder outside the shed." The question crossed her eyes, and Yuri nodded. It should be okay for her to come closer. As gently as she could, she draped the sheet around Flynn, making sure not to tuck it in and make him feel restricted. Yuri nodded at her, thanking her.

"Can you get a Lemon Gel out of my pack?" he muttered to her as he pulled the sheet down slightly. "I'm going to take the arrow out now," he said cautiously, not sure Flynn was listening now. "Hey. Flynn. I want you to eat the Lemon Gel once I take it out, okay?" The blond Commandant said something inarticulate under his breath, and Yuri took it that he understood, getting a firm grasp on the broken shaft and yanking.

A monstrous and inhuman scream pierced the air, ripped harshly from Flynn's throat as he twisted towards the source, intent on making it stop through force. Instantly, Yuri pinned his arms and held him tightly to keep him from fighting or escaping. They wouldn't be able to get the Gel into him like this. External application was possible, and it would at least staunch any major blood loss until they could get to Zaphias and get Estelle to look at it. But the muscle damage... that worried him. Especially to the shoulder to a professional soldier's sword arm. He looked up at Judy, his face grave. "We can't give him a Gel like this," he told her, huffing as Flynn managed an elbow backwards into his stomach. "Can you-?"

She nodded, hands warming the Lemon Gel so it'd spread. The last time he had to do that... Yuri let out a humorless snort, waving Judy's questioning glance off. She didn't need to know he was thinking about the misadventures of Flynn and his early sex life. The laughter was inappropriate enough. Her long fingers worked the Gel around the wound, her face a mask of concentration as Flynn tried to twist away from her ministrations, then she stopped. "Yuri."

"Hm?" He looked over at her, then down as he realized what she was gesturing at. Gel effects were instantaneous; that was what made them so useful. The arrow wound... was still bleeding freely, as if they hadn't used the Lemon Gel at all. "What the hell-?"

"I have bandages in my pack," Judy told him, wiping her hands. After the loss of blastia and not being able to rely on healing artes, they had gone through Gels so quickly on jobs that they had started to carry bandages as backups. "We'll have Estelle look at him when we get to Zaphias."

Yuri nodded, holding Flynn tightly as Judy bandaged the wound. He didn't fight this time, having slipped into unconsciousness from exhausting himself yet again. What kind of wound could not respond to a Gel? He remembered the stone over Flynn's heart, and felt his stomach worm itself into a knot. There was too much that he just didn't know about that stone. Once Judy was done, they set out. Flynn didn't even stir as Yuri picked him up, barely shifting his head into a more comfortable position against his chest. Judy retrieved his sword for him; both his hands were full, and there was no way he was going to leave behind his weapon. The walk to Ba'ul was thankfully unremarkable, and soon the dead village of Aurnion was a spot on the landscape as they flew, aiming through the darkening sky for the quickest route to Zaphias.

* * *

"You're going to make me dizzy," came the pointed comment as Estelle made yet another circuit from unfinished paperwork to her bookcase. Rita put down her own book, having barely turned a page in the last half hour, and walked over to her. "Look, worrying isn't going to help. And I saw that report; it looked pretty shady to me. Yuri's probably just going to come back laughing with Flynn and they'll have some wild story like usual about them risking their asses and Judith having to bail them out. Okay?"

"I know," Estelle said quietly as Rita took her hands, feeling the warmth through her gloves. "I just wish I could have gone with them." They both knew why she couldn't: if the situation wasn't being misread, having the princess there would be a very bad idea. Flynn could take it as aggression on the Empire's part, and make a move. And the first move he made might be to take her life. She heard Rita sigh, then the young mage leaned in, giving her a deep kiss. Estelle felt herself surrender to the gesture, pulling one hand away from Rita's to cup her lover's face.

Rita gently ended the kiss, peppering the princess's cheek and nose with baby kisses. "Everything will be okay." Her eyes stared steadily into Estelle's, trying to convince both of them of the verity of those words. She nodded, her thumb idly stroking Rita's cheek as the mage rubbed her neck. "Come on, you're all tense. You're going to give yourself a headache if you keep this up." She paused then, her hands awkwardly sliding down to toy with Estelle's gloves. Their eyes locked, a flush rising to their cheeks at the implications. They usually removed those gloves as a prelude to other activities so they wouldn't get stained, and her removing them had become a public way for Estelle to indicate that she wished to retire to her room with her visiting lover without having to broadcast her intentions to an entire room of judgmental nobles. It almost felt wrong, though. They were awaiting word from Yuri and Judith, and that wasn't time for a carnal adventure! Estelle started to shake her head, and Rita placed a finger on her lips. "Just a massage. You're running yourself into the ground, idiot! Promise, unless you want more, it'll just be a massage."

The problem was, she did want more. Rita's hands on her flesh, teasing and bringing her over the edge over and over until she forgot about everything. She wanted to lose herself in pleasure, but she knew she didn't have that luxury. But... a small smile crossed her face. Rita always did try to look out for her when she pushed herself too far. And a massage did sound lovely. "Okay," she whispered, kissing her briefly before stepping back to reach for the stays on her dress.

"Need help on that?" Estelle felt deft fingers brushing hers as Rita stepped around her, easing the laces with practiced ease. She shivered as the material started to slide off her shoulders and pool on the floor, her skin already starting to feel sensitive and awaiting for any touch. Rita's gloved hand brushed over the revealed skin, making a small noise slip from her lips. "U-um. Yeah. Just... lie down. No, don't worry about the dress," she said as Estelle reached down to pick it up. "I'll take care of it. Just- yeah."

Estelle hesitated. She didn't like leaving a mess for others to take care of. But she didn't get a chance to pick up after herself as Rita came up, ushering her towards her bed and stripping off her gloves. The princess watched, wincing slightly as Rita carelessly draped the dress over her chair, knowing it would get wrinkled. She wanted to go over, to hang it up properly, but the younger teen came back over, pointing to the bed and frowning. With a sigh, she laid down on her stomach, head pillowed on her arms. She would just have to tell her maid to take extra care with the dress later. There was the sound of Rita removing her own fingerless gloves, then her bed dipped as she sat next to her, rummaging around in her end table for the bottle of massage oil. It had been an impulse buy, but definitely one of their better ones. While it didn't get much use, when it did, oil was certainly better than the lotion they had been using. Rita dribbled a line down Estelle's back, making her breath intake sharply at the chilled temperature, then promptly got to work spreading and warming it.

Soon, Rita's fingers started to seek and dig into the sore spots in her back, and Estelle groaned. Her lover had good, strong hands, and it had taken her a bit to get used to just how much pressure she put into her massages. But when she did, she never could fathom how she'd live without it. Those clever fingers rolled into her lower back, easing pain of sitting for hours, and slid firmly up beside her spine. The popping that followed would normally be considered a hideous noise, but only felt blissful to the princess as tension eased. She rolled her head so her forehead pressed into the back of her hands as Rita's hands reached her shoulders, cupping them so her thumbs could swipe across the knots there. Her hands rolled to replace thumbs with knuckles, moving them across her shoulders and up her tense neck. Estelle moaned in pleasure as Rita hit the worst of it, and felt her hands stutter on her. "Estelle," she heard Rita say softly, almost on a breath.

"Yes," she whispered, an affirmation to the unspoken question. Immediately, she felt the hands slide down her back and across her hips. They dipped between her legs and she spread them eagerly, but only felt disappointment as the oil slicked hands only started massaging the inside of one of her thighs. She felt Rita pull away, standing up, and when she returned it was to settle between her legs, this time as naked as she was. This time, when she started to roll her fingers into Estelle's back, the princess could feel the brush of her bare breasts against her rear and her breathing starting to come faster. "Rita..."

In response, the mage left a kiss on her lower back, then drew back. "Roll over."

Eagerly, Estelle did so, careful not to hit her as she did so and reached out once her shoulders were against the bed. Rita leaned up, smiling as she gave her a kiss, her hands still continuing the massage as she dug her fingers into her shoulders. Soon, however, one hand drifted down to cup one breast, palm rolling over the peaked nipple. Her fingers lightly teased over her skin, making her gasp into the kiss. Gently, Rita moved her head to break the kiss and latch onto her ear, sucking on the sensitive lobe. Estelle's fingers scraped across her back as Rita licked and suckled her ear. "Please," she whimpered, her hips rolling upward.

In response, Rita pulled away, shifting her weight so she straddled Estelle's leg, her own thigh sliding up between the princess's. Estelle let out a breath as the two started rocking together, her hands flailing until they encountered Rita's, gripping them tightly. Each little movement caused little shocks of pleasure to shoot through her veins. It rolled through her, building and centering between her legs in a golden feeling until it burst, crying out as she climaxed. Rita's hips rolled in a frenzy, trying to reach the same heights until she followed, her motions losing all semblance of order as her body shuddered in pleasure. Slowly, Rita lowered herself down beside Estelle, smiling. "Love you," she whispered.

"Love you." Estelle took one of Rita's hands, kissing the fingertips drowsily. It was nice, to lay there entwined with her lover like that. She let her eyes drift close, the sound of Rita breathing meshing with the languid pleasure coursing through her body to coax her towards sleep.

Which was when a knock came at her door. Estelle lifted her head, frowning. Who in the world could that be? She slid out of bed and quickly donned a dressing gown, opening her door just far enough so she could see out of it but Rita couldn't be seen. "Yes?" She tried to keep both the irritation and the terror out of her voice; that had been a very intimate moment, but at the same time, what if Yuri had returned and he was hurt so badly he needed her artes?

The Imperial Knight saluted her. "Princess Estellise. You're needed in the medical wing immediately."

Terror was the proper response then. She placed a hand to her mouth. "Is Yuri-?" But she was cut off by the Knight shaking his head.

"No. It's the Commandant."

* * *

The further they got from Aurnion, the quieter Flynn became. When he woke, he no longer fought Yuri or Judy. That, the swordsman thought, should have been a good thing, but Flynn was so listless and out of it that it seemed more a function of blood loss and trauma than recognizing he was no longer in the place that had tormented him for three months. After a while, he started to wonder if Flynn would even wake up this next time, and started shaking him as Ba'ul descended. "Hey. It's time to wake up. You're home. Hey. Flynn." He was still breathing, which was good, but he just. Didn't. Respond! "Hey!"

Finally, his eyes opened, unfocused. Then closed again. Yuri took a deep breath, ready to start shouting at him when he felt a strong hand on his arm. "Don't," came the voice. Judy squeezed his arm briefly. "Just pick him up and go. Run for the palace and don't stop."

He nodded at her, picking up Flynn's too limp body and jumping down as soon as he could, running straight for the palace. For Estelle. As long as he could feel Flynn breathing and the heat radiating from his body, it wasn't too late, it'd be okay-!

The palace gates popped into place in front of him, and Yuri skidded to a halt, holding Flynn closer as the guards reached for their swords at the sudden appearance of the infamous Yuri Lowell. And what an appearance, he thought wryly. Running, desperate, holding someone covered with a sheet. "Estelle," he snapped out. "Get Estelle, now. We need medical attention."

One of the guards snorted, and Yuri recognized him. He had been one of the many that had looked down on the Lower Quarter, and had taken a bit of pleasure whenever he had to lock Yuri up for a minor crime. "Then buy an Apple Gel and take care of-" Dark eyes narrowed as he shifted, letting Flynn's head loll and be revealed in the moonlight. "Commandant!"

At that, Yuri just lifted an eyebrow. "I think I remember where the medical ward is," he told the guards, his words heavy on the sarcasm. "I saidnow, soldier."

The guard that hadn't been an ass saluted and sprinted off. Yuri ignored the other, walking right by him and heading straight for the medical ward as fast as he could. Thankfully, at this time of night the only ones on the grounds were Imperial Knights, and he could safely ignore them. All that mattered right now was getting Flynn to the medical ward and getting him healed. The nurses in the ward jumped as he burst in, but set upon the patient in his arms immediately once their eyes caught on him before they even saw who it was. They were more successful in getting a Lemon Gel down Flynn's throat - especially since he wasn't fighting anyone anymore - but it had the exact same effect as externally applying one.

After what felt like an excruciatingly long wait, Estelle finally burst into the ward. Her short hair was a mess, knotted into a nest in the back, and her dress was wrinkled, making the picture a complete departure from her usual composed look. She came to a halt, her hands to her mouth as she finally saw Flynn. What she had expected, Yuri had no idea, but it couldn't have been this. He hadn't even expected to see the Commandant like this. Lucky for her she didn't see him before, half out of his mind and attacking everyone. "Flynn!" Without waiting, she strode over, a First Aid already on her lips as her hands reached out to take the Commandant's. She cast several in quick succession, her face a mask of concentration as she did so.

And the entire time, the wound in his shoulder still bled the same. Yuri's heart sank as Estelle kept casting, to seemingly no effect. Finally, he came over to her, taking her hands away from Flynn's. She jumped and looked up at him. "Oh! Yuri, I didn't see you there."

"Yeah, I figured." Her face fell at his grim tone, and she looked back down at Flynn, just now realizing what little effect she had. She swayed ever so slightly, betraying just how much energy she had used fruitlessly. Yuri followed her gaze, swallowing. Gels didn't work, artes didn't work... The nurses finally ushered the two of them out, stern as a doctor walked up to the bed with various weird tools.

"Yuri, what happened?" Estelle asked quietly once then were out in the hall. Which was a good question. His best friend, reduced to that, half starved and... no. He wasn't dying. Yuri shook his head.

"I wish I knew."

* * *

He woke up.

That he wasn't expecting. He was less expecting it to be in a hard bed, a thin medical nightgown covering his front. Slowly, he sat up, feeling an odd pull in his shoulder. He shifted the gown, blinking as he saw neat black stitches holding the deep wound closed. Without understanding it, he pulled the gown back up, looking around.

He was in a medical ward. Slowly, he stood, wobbling as his legs started to go out on him. But they held on long enough for him to make it out, and look around. It... looked like the palace. It looked like Zaphias. But it didn't feel real. It felt... like a dream. Like last moments of happiness before death. He started to wander down the halls, clinging to the walls as his strength drained. It was eerily quiet, leading strength to the idea that it wasn't real.

There was a noise. Someone talking. He started moving towards it, drawn. The formless talking resolved into an... argument? No, not quite. It was taunting, a highborn voice mocking another, quieter voice. No, not just a highborn. An Imperial Knight, one under his command. He rounded a corner, seeing the man push another, newer Knight. One that had joined from the Lower Quarter, inspired by the ideals put forth by the current Commandant. "You'll never end up being anything," the nobleman sneered. "You filth never do. Why don't you just drop out now and- oh. Commandant." An oily smile crossed his face, the salute almost mocking as he took in his weak form. "I heard you were back in Zaphias. It's nice to see you walking around."

He should rebuke him. It was his job, after all. Give him a good dressing down, let him know how unbecoming of a Knight his behavior was. Rage blossomed in his chest as he thought about how much this man was disgracing the armor he was wearing, snaking out from his heart and encompassing him. It was beyond unbecoming! A Knight was a Knight, no matter where he had been born. How dare he speak like that.

Flynn smiled.

And grabbed the Knight by the throat.


	4. Chapter 4

Armor rattled as a body slammed against the pillar, breath being driven out by the force. Good. There was someone talking, but he ignored it. He had to take care of this filth first. A burst of rage fueled strength radiated from his chest as he shook off the hands trying to stop him, barely noticing the sound of a second impact, and slugged the sorry excuse for a Knight in the jaw.

The cracking noise that followed was the most satisfying thing he had ever heard.

* * *

Guest beds in the castle weren't as comfortable as they looked. Yuri rubbed the back of his neck as he walked down the halls, feeling his head ache dully. He'd have to collect the fee and get back soon. Karol must be going crazy wondering what was going on with Flynn, and Yuri wanted to get ahold of Raven as well. Even if what had been implanted in the Commandant's chest didn't look exactly like what Raven had, it was a place to start. But before he and Judy left, just one more check-up on Flynn-

Who wasn't in the medical ward. For a moment, Yuri just stared at the unmade bed, unwilling to make the leap his brain wanted to make. That Flynn had- no. He was stronger than that, damn it! Not to mention someone would have told Estelle, and she would have let everyone else in the castle know. Yuri tried to calm his breathing, feeling his arms shake as his fists tightened even further. Flynn had to be fine. He was still alive. Just- somewhere else. He turned and left, brushing past a nurse and ignoring as she also noticed her patient missing.

It was still early enough that most of the nobles were still in bed. That made the halls eerily quiet, magnifying the click of his shoes as he nearly ran through them. It also allowed him to hear the distant sounds of a fight. He almost ignored it, having bigger problems than some Knights having a dick measuring contest, but his search led him directly towards the noises. With an annoyed sigh, Yuri picked up his pace, intent on running right by whoever was trying to prove they were bigger and badder than the other.

And stopped when he saw the aggressor was none other than Flynn himself. The grip he had on the Knight's throat was obviously weakening a rapid rate and he was close to sliding to the floor in an unconscious heap, but he still threw one more punch at the Knight's face. Which, Yuri realized, looked like raw meat. If his nose wasn't broken and his jaw completed shattered, he'd eat his own gloves. As Flynn drew back his fist one more time, the swordsman grabbed it and and pulled him away.

The instant Yuri's hand gripped the bandages around Flynn's wrist, the last of his strength crumbled and the Commandant's legs with it. Yuri held his unconscious body close to him as the Knight he had been beating on slithered to the ground, morbidly fascinated by the dent in the wall left behind. Somehow, Flynn had slammed the guy into the wall hard enough to crack the wall. A moan came from beside them, and Yuri started, spinning slightly to see another Knight standing up, wobbling and holding his head. "What happened here?" he demanded, watching the young Knight jump as he realized there was another there.

"You're... Yuri Lowell," he said slowly, and Yuri realized that his eyes weren't quite focusing. "I don't-" His head turned, looking between his Commandant's unconscious form and the bloody mess that he had been beating up on. "I don't know," he finally said, confusion coloring every word.

Yuri started cursing under his breath, and picked up Flynn. He knew that, if pushed, Flynn had a temper on him. But that was the thing: he had to be pushed into it. He also knew that Flynn kept a better hold on his temper than he did, and there was little Knights under his command would have done that would have pushed him into beating one up like that. Not to mention, how?! He could feel how little the blond Commandant weighed now and see how much muscle he had lost. How had he even gotten this far, much less had that kind of strength? "Stay here," he told the concussed Knight as he tried to follow. "I'll send someone by. Just... make sure he doesn't die."

The Knight followed the jerk of his head to his fallen comrade, and something hard and unforgiving crossed his face. Interesting. Maybe the guy deserved it. But he nodded briefly, then held his head, moaning in pain.

"What did you do, Flynn?" Yuri whispered down at his friend's form as he took him back to the medical ward, starting to feel uneasy again.

* * *

Estelle gasped as Yuri finished his update on his report, her hands to her mouth. Disbelief welled in her face, her head shaking. "Flynn would never do that," she finally said, lowering her hands. "That's not the type of person he is."

"I agree," Ioder continued off her words, eyeing Yuri's deceptively relaxed form reclining against the wall. "Commandant Flynn is a very level headed person, which is why he holds the position to being with. Not to mention we've seen his physical condition, and it's impossible for him to have walked all that way and to have any strength to attack anyone."

"Yeah, except he did." Yuri gave them both an unamused look, noticing Judy staring out of the window thoughtfully. Anyone else, he would have thought they weren't paying attention. They had all learned, however, that her apparent zoning out was followed up by some of the most insightful commentary. Yuri still didn't know how she did it. "Look, you didn't see him in Aurnion. He was locked up in a shed, Estelle. Chained up. Naked. I can only guess at what kind of torture he went through there. Also-" He swallowed here, remembering the slick stone glowing. "He has a stone. It looks but doesn't look like a blastia. A heart blastia."

It was quiet enough they could hear the Imperial Knights practicing. Everyone was looking at Yuri with a stricken face: Ioder, Estelle, even Judy. "H-how?" Estelle's voice spoke up, quavering. "How did...?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. The entire town was like that." Yuri pushed himself off the wall, coming over to them. "Once I get the fee, there's someone I need to see."

Ioder held up a hand. "There's one more thing I want you to do before I pay your fee. You will get paid extra for this, of course. Who it is you want to see- I assume it's Raven?"

"Heh." A wry smile crossed Yuri's face. "Can't put anything past you, can I? What is it you want us to do?"

"If you can, bring him here. He should be able to explain to Flynn what to expect and see for himself what it is." Ioder's face was grave, and Yuri just laughed at that.

"Shit, I was planning on doing that anyway." He grinned cheekily, seeing a bit of relief cross Estelle's face. "I'm just now getting paid for it."

Ioder's lips curved in a small answering smile, relief also suffusing his features, when Judy spoke up. "There's someone I want to see as well. Ba'ul knows what you want to do, so if you can just drop me off, he'll take you where you need to go."

It was Yuri's turn to join everyone to look at Judy, this time blinking in surprise. Ba'ul and Judy had been together for, well, as long as he knew. The two of them voluntarily separating like that... he would have suspected a fight between them if he didn't know better. "You sure?" he asked her, his voice low, and she nodded.

"It'll take too long if you take a boat back. And where I'm going, Ba'ul might not be able to get to."

What she said pinged something in Yuri's mind. She had seen something then, if she was going to ask him. He nodded, understanding. "Sure. You want us to take the both of you somewhere?"

She shook her head. "It might take me a while to convince him." Her lips curled at that, and Yuri answered with a similar grin, knowing what she was talking about. "We'll be on our way today."

* * *

Actually finding Raven was sometimes the hard part. Dropping Judy off and seeing her face when she left her oldest friend, telling Karol what happened to Flynn, it was almost as hard as those. Though nothing was as hard as seeing Judy with a very stony look on her face, trying to hide how much it hurt as her oldest friend left her, knowing it was of their own free wills. It took backtracking from Raven's last job to his next "vacation" to find him, finally tracking him down to Capua Torim after a matter of weeks. Finding what room he was holed up in was the easy part after that; the people in the inn still remembered them from the initial rush to find the blastia thief and the fame that followed from being guild members that actually saved the world. Yuri soon found himself in front of the door to the room Raven had rented out for the night and opened it without knocking.

And quickly regretted it. While neither of them would have stopped if the other had walked in while jerking off, it didn't stop the exasperation and annoyance Yuri felt as Raven lifted the hand that wasn't busy around his cock and waved at him. "Yo," came the easy greeting, deceptively blithe as if the hand hadn't just released the knife at his side. The busy hand picked up a bit in speed as his breath hitched. "Mind givin' an old man a hand again, Yuri?"

Once upon a time, he wouldn't have objected to the offer. He and Flynn had never been... exactly an exclusive couple, and he hadn't considered Raven a bad looking man. The look in the older man's eyes said he still didn't consider the liaisons serious, and that he didn't think Yuri was here for anything important. Instead, he leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Raven shrugged, running his thumb over the head before readjusting his grip and stroking faster. His legs quivered as the hand gripped a little harder, his head tipping back. It wasn't exactly an unwelcome sight, and Yuri had to hold onto the memory of seeing Flynn in that shed to keep from leaving the wall.

It wasn't too long before Raven's body curled in on itself, shuddering as he came. Yuri watched him relax, lifting an eyebrow. "You done?" he asked mildly.

Raven chuckled, looking at his through hooded lids, his hand still wrapped around his softening cock. "Kinda surprised ya didn't join in," he said laconically. "So. What brings ya all the way to Capua Torim?"

Here, Yuri pushed himself off his comfortable spot from the wall, pulling out a rag and throwing to Raven. "Need your expertise with something."

"Huh." Raven smirked, taking the rag and starting to clean up. "So, what is it? New cutie? Ya need help spicing things up with ya current lovers?" He wriggled his eyebrows, then offered him a lecherous grin.

If only. Yuri took a quiet breath, trying to steel himself against what he had seen and what he didn't know."Flynn was captured and starved, possibly tortured, and now has a stone in his chest. Kind of like a heart blastia."

The way Raven jumped and cursed gave Yuri a small thrill of satisfaction. He finished cleaning quickly and pulled his pants back up in jerky motions. "You're kidding," he growled, his voice sharpening and losing the practiced easiness. The mannerisms of Schwann started to peek through Raven's mask as he started to pace, his mind whirling around the implications. "Where was this?"

"Aurnion."

"What?!" Raven whipped around, staring at Yuri with incredulity. "The new town? How is that possible? Who did it?"

"Get your shit together." Yuri nodded his head at his belongings. "I'll explain on the way."

* * *

Strength returned to him far too slowly. The rush that pushed him the first day never returned, leaving him to struggle as he tried to put his life back together. While frustration filled him as he tried to keep his balance on weakened limbs, as he felt the food he ate try to exit the way it went in, he never felt the same kind of overwhelming rage bubbling from his chest.

People visited him regularly as he reconvened, first seeming like a fever dream. How could Lady Estellise be there next to him? It was impossible, more so that her gentle voice was reading a book while he slept. The words that he asked, he knew, made no sense and he didn't remember afterwards. Only in that brief moment that he was conscious that whatever it was he asked was of the utmost importance.

Each time he woke there was another person there, to varying degrees of understandable success. When he finally pulled himself to lucidity, it was to the familiar warm glow of a healing arte. Lady Estellise sat beside his bed again, her face a quiet mask of exhausted concentration as she cast. Slowly, he reached out, taking her hand and startling her. "Oh, Flynn!"

"Lady Estellise." He smiled at her wearily. "You shouldn't be tiring yourself like that."

Her face lightened as his words made sense. "It doesn't mean I shouldn't try." She turned her hand, holding his and stroking it with her thumb. "How are you feeling?"

Without letting go, he flexed and stretched various limbs. "Weak and tired, but alive otherwise."

She smiled slightly at that, tucking a lock of pink hair behind her ear. "And... your chest?"

He reached up, touching the wound on his shoulder. "You've been trying to heal this, haven't you? Thank you, Lady Estellise." As his fingers dropped, they brushed something odd under his shirt, and he frowned, lifting the cloth to see what it was. At the sight of the slick black stone, he could feel the rough floor of the shed beneath him and the iron of the chains encircling his wrists, the blank looks of the villagers as they came to give him food when they remembered, the stone gradually covering more of their body...

"Flynn? Flynn!" A surprisingly tight grip on his hand broke through his memories, vision clearing to show the sterile white ward. It was easy to forget the slim form of the princess held a warrior, one that still practiced swordplay and could hold her own against the Commandant for a short while. "Are you okay?"

The answer didn't come right away. His breath came short and fast, uncontrolled as the panic started to subside. When he felt steady enough, he said in a voice that only shook slightly, "I'm fine, Lady Estellise." He smiled at her, trying to be reassuring through the exhaustion from both the panic and his own previous lack of strength pulling him down.

"No, you're not." She started to fuss over him, pulling his blanket up over his shoulders. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. You need rest, Flynn. I'll visit later, when you're better."

"You should get rest too." His eyes started to close without his allowance, and he forced them back open as something occurred to him. "Yuri... He was in Aurnion. I remember his voice before I was here. I haven't seen him since I woke the first day. Where is he?"

Lady Estellise paused in her motions. "He's not here. He had to leave." A soft romantic smile crossed her face as she stroked his face. "It's okay, he'll be back soon."

As sleep pulled him down, he felt something settle into his chest. Something hard and knotty, resting low and uncomfortable as he closed his eyes. Yuri's face crossed his mind right before he fell into darkness, and the hardness grew thorny briefly, rolling through his chest.

Then. Sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Weeks. It took weeks before he was strong enough to be discharged. Of course, within a day of his release from the medical ward he had been summoned to give his report about the events that had transpired. His words stuttered and tripped as memories interrupted the recitation of events, trailing off before the end as his wrists and shoulder burned.

They had tortured him. People he had meant to protect. How dare they. Of all the things he had done, of all the laws in place, and they were broken that easily? The laws were in place to protect everyone, and they had failed his Knights. They had failed him. The knot in his chest burned briefly, twisting through his body in a roiling thorny branch.

Laws should be upheld by everyone. Those that break them… should face punishment.

* * *

Estelle frowned as Flynn left, her mind going over what he had just said and how he had said it. It was obvious that his time in Aurnion had affected him deeper than she realized, and that it gripped him still. Though, she found herself sympathizing and understanding; she still woke in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, her arm still feeling as if she had just swung her sword and her memories filled with the horrified faces of her friends. But they had needed to know as soon as possible. "I wish there had been an easier way," she whispered.

"You're not alone in that," Ioder told her, moving to sit down at his desk. Piecemeal though it was, there was enough information in his report that worried both of them. An entire town of civilians attacking Imperial Knights and winning was enough, and it made them wonder if there were more towns that were ready to boil over. If she were to visit Rita in Aspio, would she be taking her life in her hands? Would the scholars there attack anyone from Zaphias like those in Aurnion had done? And the heart blastia-like substance in his chest… who still had the knowledge how to implant those? Were there even Hermes blastia left to implant? "We'll have to send an investigative team to Aurnion."

"I know," she said, subdued. Her hands twisted as she thought, trying to think of something she could do for Flynn. "Ioder-" Estelle turned to him, her mind working furiously. "Do you think we can have a dinner? A small, intimate one, of course."

He gave her a long look, his mind working to follow hers, then smiled. "Coordinating everyone would be the hard part, you know. Even if you could drag your lover away from her experiments, Karol might not be able to make it at the same time. And we'd have to wait for Judith to be back in contact."

Estelle found herself blushing at the casual reference to Rita. None of the group had seen fit to hide their relationships to each other, and Ioder was not an exception to this. It never became less awkward to talk to one's cousin about her love life, though, despite it not ever being a secret. "I know," she repeated, her voice more firm this time. "But I think it'll help Flynn."

Unbidden, Ioder's gaze drifted to the door, as if he could track the Commandant's movements from there. "You're right," he told her. "We'll work on that once we know where Judith is and how to get in contact with her." He raised a hand to his face, a rare gesture of impatience and exhaustion. "This kind of thing was supposed to end with Alexei."

There was nothing she could say to that. He was right; this kind of atrocity should have ended with Alexei's death. She turned to also look at the door, wanting to leave and heal Flynn. Put him back together, so when Yuri returned, his male lover was whole and ready for him. She wanted things to go back to the way they were before Flynn left for Aurnion. Estelle clasped her hands, trying to hide their shaking at the realization that maybe… maybe they wouldn't.

* * *

"Ya know that sounds impossible," Raven drawled. "I'm havin' a hard time believin' that Estelle couldn't heal a simple arrow wound. And he got outta bed and beat someone up right after gettin' there?"

"Hey, if I hadn't been there, I wouldn't believe it either, old man," Yuri told him. "And I know the Estelle thing can't be a thing of heart blastia because you can take Gels and healing artes. I'm just wondering if his mood is."

Raven stroked his chin as Terca Lumireis sped below them, covering ground rapidly towards Zaphias. "I'd put more stock in how you found him for that," he said finally. "Gettin' ya heart replaced with a blastia is a shock and all, but the man's been starved and kept naked in a shed for months. Kind of thing wears on ya. Wouldn't completely rule it out, though." He scratched his stubble, thinking about something. "Kinda worried about somethin' else ya said. He cracked the wall and broke the guy's jaw and nose?"

"Yeah."

"See, that's the thing. I'd have a hard time believin' someone in his position would be able to do that if they had a blastia." Raven squinted up into the sky as if he could still see the Adephagos. "And since we nuked those to stop somethin'…"

"Chances of it happening go to zero," Yuri said flatly. "Trust me, old man, I thought about that already." The fact that Flynn had dropped right off into unconsciousness and hadn't reawoken before he left also weighed on him. He had at least stirred a few times on the flight back to the capital. If he couldn't be woken… "I just wanted you to look at the damned thing, maybe give us an idea what we're in for. Dunno what Ioder wants."

The older man shrugged. "No problem. And hey, ya said we're gettin' paid for somethin' we'd do anyway, so that sweetens the pot. Speakin' of sweet, how's Judy doin'?"

Yuri snorted. It might be one part trying to veer off from a painful subject, but he knew that Raven was serious about the lecherous question. "She's on a mission right now, finding someone only she knows about that might know what happened at Aurnion." And he had an idea who it was, but he knew that Judy would reveal things in her own time. "Other than that, the usual. Lots of monsters, lots of sex."

At that, Raven chuckled. "Never got how ya managed to juggle two, and both of 'em knowin' about the other. At least ya one night stands were monogamous."

"What can I say? I'm just that good." Yuri grinned at him as Ba'ul started his descent towards Zaphias.

* * *

The stone had spread, moving up his torso. Yuri took a sharp breath as he saw the irregular shape revealed, barely noticing that Flynn had his head averted and was trying his best not to catch glimpse of it once his shirt came off. In the low light, the slight glow it emitted was even more obvious. He could see Estelle turn her head, trying to catch his eye behind Raven's back as he studied Flynn's chest.

Maybe he had taken too long finding Raven. He didn't know that Flynn had been released from the medical ward, and it had been a shock to see him, looking better but still quite thin and wan, slowly practicing with his sword. The arrow wound in his shoulder was slowly healing, too slowly, making Yuri wonder if there would be loss of mobility. It made him feel ill to think about Flynn losing any mobility in his sword arm.

"Don't look like anything I've seen before," Raven said presently. "Doesn't mean anythin', though. Mine was put in by people that knew what they were doin'. Never saw one put in by civilians."

Flynn's jaw tensed at that. Of things one didn't want to hear about something that was sustaining a person's life, that was on top. "So you have no idea what it'll do, or how long it'll last."

Raven lifted a hand to his chin, rubbing as he thought. "Shouldn't be much different," he finally told him. "Don't think there could be that much difference between Hermes blastia, just the instillation. Our beautiful Rita should be able to tell ya more, though. Someone gone to dig her out of her experiments lately?" He slanted a sly look at Estelle, his eyes flicking back to the blond Commandant as his head snapped towards them and the blush on the princess's cheeks.

"She's in the middle of something very delicate," she informed him, her cheeks flaming even pinker as Raven chuckled at that. "Like I was saying! She'll be travelling back to Zaphias once she can put them on hold."

"And that has nothin' to do with her lovely girlfriend?" Raven asked her in a teasing voice as Estelle blushed even deeper and ducked her head. He opened his mouth to say more when he was interrupted, by Flynn slamming his hand down.

"It has been a long day and I'm very tired." His voice was tightly controlled as he picked up his shirt, pulling it on with jerky motions. "If all you're going to do is tease Lady Estellise, then you may leave."

Yuri lifted an eyebrow at that. He knew Flynn and Estelle were good friends, but he didn't expect to see him on the edge of exploding temper just from that. Estelle's sparkling eyes above her pink cheeks faded as she looked over at him, sad and resigned. "I'm sorry," she told him softly. "I forgot that you had a busy day. We'll see you later, okay?" She smiled at him as she turned, ushering everyone out of the room.

A short distance away, Raven stopped, rubbing the back of his head. "So ya saw that, right?"

"What do you mean?" Yuri asked. "I think we all Flynn's little temper tantrum."

"Nah, not that." Raven turned, considering his words before looking back at the group. "Flynn's reaction was pretty strong for just a little teasin'. And there's some grooves in the shape of his fingers. They weren't there until he started gettin' angry. Might be nothin' but that's still pretty weird."

Weird was an understatement. What was wrong with Flynn? Yuri's hands flexed, feeling powerless. What could he do? What was there that anyone could do?

* * *

Reports were something Schwann never liked to do, and he liked them even less as Raven. Most people would have had him speaking about what he saw when talking to the dear Commandant, and he would have ignored it anyway. The hatred of reports only held part of it; he knew secrets when he saw them. Flynn was hiding something. While he knew someone need to know, he wanted to figure out more.

Flynn's strength was certainly coming back, which was a good sign. Staying too long in Zaphais made Raven itchy. He could tell he wasn't the only one: Yuri was getting crazed too. Too long waiting around, not enough time expending all that energy. If they could get another job near Zaphias taking out monsters or escorting someone or anything that wouldn't take Yuri too far away from his darling boyfriend…

In lieu of any jobs that would expel the excess energy, Yuri had taken to sparring with Flynn. Raven watched with a critical eye as the two circled each other, noting how the blond moved and how his lover adjusted for it. It was fascinating, actually. Yuri could have easily won, given how weak Flynn still was, but he purposely slowed down. It was obvious that he was testing Flynn's limits than pushing his own. Flynn's movements were interesting in their own right, watching him swing his sword stiffly. It didn't look like he would lose any mobility in the arm, but he was going to take a lot of work to keep it that way. Raven's eyes narrowed as he watched Yuri disarm Flynn, noting how he stilled. Was he… angry? He had to know that was a foregone conclusion given how he was still recovering. He reached out, the dark haired swordsman starting to pull away in alarm-

And Raven's eyebrows shot up as Flynn pulled his lover in for a deep kiss. He knew the Commandant wasn't stupid; he knew openly being in a relationship with a male, much less a guilds member, would jeopardize his already precarious position and that he knew how to be much more careful than that. Few people in power could be open about their preferences, and they were usually born into that power and abused it. Flynn was neither, and knew how to be more careful than that. The fact he was currently making Yuri breathless in a very public area was not like him.

Yuri's hand slipped down to Flynn's hip, kneading as the blond's head moved to his neck. Raven rested his arm against a nearby pillar as he watched, starting to feel a little uncomfortable. He didn't want to have to go down there and interrupt them. But if they started having sex right there where everyone could see, he was going to have to pretend he had just stumbled across them. Flynn was still young and allowed to do stupid things, but he wasn't going to let him ruin his career that thoroughly.

Relief rushed through him as Yuri whispered something to Flynn and he paused. He nodded, then led him out of the practice yard. It would be better if it didn't look so blatant, but at least Raven didn't have to salvage Flynn's reputation completely. He knew trauma did funny things to one's head - after as much as he had been through, he was surprised his head was on as well as it was - but this was a bit much. He would have to keep watch, just to make sure it didn't get worse.

* * *

It had surprised him that Flynn had grabbed him like that after sparring. They hadn't had sex since before he had left for Aurnion, and he had never initiated it in public like that. It was always behind closed doors, where no one could see them. To actually make out and get his hands on him where people could see was thrilling, exciting… and Yuri knew it was a horrible idea. He remembered how the nobles and other knights had reacted when faced with anyone who liked their own gender. No matter how much he'd like to have Flynn not be ashamed of being seen with him, he also did know what would happen if the people under him didn't take him seriously.

So it was much better to take it to Flynn's room. It was away from the stupid prying eyes and much more comfortable. He could rest with his back on Flynn's ridiculously soft bed and let him pin his wrists. But other than the familiar restraint, he was being unusually gentle. Flynn normally would have at least have scraped teeth across his skin, if not littered his torso with a few bites. He knew how much he loved that. It had been way too long since he had anything other than his own hand with Judy doing her own thing and Flynn still recovering, and his first time after the drought was too gentle. His tongue lavished over his collarbone, warm and wet and making him squirm with how much he wanted more. Flynn wasn't even pinning him down with his body, just making the only points of contact the hands on his wrists and the mouth caressing his skin. His knees raised, trying to rub against any part of the blond. "Fuck, Flynn," he breathed, hands flexing.

"Do you want more?" he murmured in Yuri's ear, gently sucking on the lobe.

"You know-"

"Do you want it, Yuri?"

There. That must be it. Trying to take him apart and blow his mind with gentleness. Something new. He tilted his head, silently telling him yes. Yes, he wanted it. He wanted Flynn to pin him and make him scream. He wanted to wiping Aurnion from the Commandant's memory and replace it with something good. Ultimately, he wanted to go and make everyone that did this pay, but there was no one left.

Flynn released his wrists to move down his body, hooking his fingers into his pants and slowly pulling them down as Yuri lifted his hips. Those too gentle lips brushed across his thighs and the curls above his dick, making him groan. He was just teasing now, making Yuri squirm. It was almost too much, feeling those familiar lips so close. He just wanted- "Flynn," Yuri growled, moving his hands to that blond hair, not yet gripping it. His hands were restrained again as Flynn lifted his head, looking at him. Something was off in his gaze, something that made Yuri's brow crease faintly. The ring of blue around the aroused dilated pupil didn't seem right.

And then Flynn swallowed him, erection going deep into his throat as Yuri let out a wordless cry. _Fuck_, it felt good. It wasn't often that this was the situation, that Flynn was the one with a dick in his mouth. But he wasn't going to deny him, especially when it had been this long. He felt his eyes roll back as Flynn's tongue flattened against him as he pulled up, moaning as he freed one hand and wrapped it around him, pulling down and revealing the head for his tongue to lap at. Yuri's freed hand gripped his shoulder, hips bucking into the wet warmth.

Slowly, Flynn lifted up off him, a groan escaping his lips as the Commandant released his other wrist and moved to hover over him. He looked down at him with pale eyes, then leaned in to give him a deep kiss, one Yuri reciprocated happily. He dropped his hands to Flynn's pants, ready to pull them off of him, when he felt his hands at his neck. They encircled, and squeezed, cutting off his air. His grip was a vise around his throat. Yuri pried at fingers cutting off his air, glaring up at the dispassionate washed out blue eyes above him. The blastia-like stone streaking through his torso shone dully in the firelight as Flynn leaned over, pressing his chest against Yuri's naked body and making him shiver at the cold sensation. The hell was wrong with Flynn? In his sight was the half healed arrow wound. Yuri grit his teeth and shoved his fingers into it, twisting as Flynn grunted in pain, releasing him and drawing back. "What the hell?" he asked roughly, rubbing his throat.

Flynn placed a hand to his eyes, shaking his head. "I don't know," he said in a tired voice. "I felt… I don't know. I'm sorry, Yuri." His arms shook in unfeigned exhaustion as he pushed himself up off the bed. "You should go."

There was nothing he could say to refute that. Yuri pulled on his clothes, his throat sore as he swallowed. This was enough. He had let Judy go long enough, but they needed her and whoever she was looking for. They needed the finders.

Yuri was going to have to ask Karol for a favor.


	6. Chapter 6

Of all the places... she smiled grimly to herself as she planted the butt of her spear in the ground to steady herself as she descended, readjusting her feet as the ground under her started to shift. Of course he would be here. Away from humanity, in a spot that unless he wanted to see someone, he wouldn't have to. That was, unless the person was a Krityan on a mission. She came to the bottom and paused to catch her breath, wiping her forehead. Bath. She would need a good bath after all this, preferably with good strong arms massaging her shoulders and a familiar erection inside her.

But that would have to wait. She lowered her polearm as she noticed movement, not yet putting it away in case it wasn't who she thought it was but still relaxing slightly. Her eyes tracked the movement, remaining still as it came closer. When the figure emerged from the tree line, she inclined her head in greeting, still not putting her weapon away. "Hello," she said pleasantly.

"Hello," came the reply, just as pleasant. He shifted his grip on his sword, not quite pointing it at her. "And to what do I owe this honor?"

She smiled at him, noticing his gaze shifting around her. Looking for her companions. "I came alone," she assured him. "And I came to ask a favor."

He lifted an eyebrow at her, though she wasn't sure if it was in disbelief that she was alone or the request. The sword was sheathed and he gestured, inviting her to go on. In return, she put away her own weapon and put a hand to her chin, thinking about how best to start. She ignored how his head inclined slightly as she thought, then finally looked right at him.

"Were there any experiments done on the continent of Hypionia?"

If she wasn't looking into his face, she would have missed the shadow passing through. "And why do you ask that?"

"Recently, Commandant Flynn Scifo went on his annual trip to Aurnion. While there, the villagers went insane, killed his entire unit, captured him, kept him in a shed, starved him, and proceeded to kill each other. When Yuri and I arrived, there was a stone covering their faces, one that Flynn now has embedded in his own chest as if it was a heart blastia." She watched with a grim satisfaction as his face became more and more pale with each word from her lips. "When I went to get Ba'ul, I noticed something. It looked man made, very recent, and of an almost militaristic design."

"And the first person you thought of was me." He looked away, his eyes narrowed in thought. "They were not done under my command, nor were they considered a success in any way shape or form. Alexei had attempted them, and there should not be any problems, much less the ones you are describing."

"But if there are?" she pressed. "I've secured a boat that will take us there. I want you to look at it. Flynn is... acting very strangely, and I want to know for certain if it's the stone, as well as what that stone is. If it has something to do with those experiments, you are the only one left that would know anything."

He turned his gaze back on her. She met it, almost acutely aware of how her hair was sticking up, the sweat and grime all over her body, and how her antennae were drooping. How she must have looked desperate despite her own casual demeanor and words. "Yuri is worried about him, isn't he," he finally asked, quietly. She only nodded, once, and he let out a silent breath. "I will meet you back here in an hour."

* * *

From a certain balcony, one could catch a glimpse of the city below. Estelle had taken to spending time there as often as she could if her path didn't take her into Zaphias proper. This time, when she walked by, she pulled herself short as she noticed a familiar figure standing in her spot. "Flynn," she finally said, walking over to him. "I didn't think you'd be up."

At first, he didn't turn to her. "Yuri left this morning," was all he told her, eventually. "A job, he said." The hand on the balcony rail tightened as his face turned hard. "And I'm confined to the palace grounds. I can barely walk around here without a doctor worrying about my every step and move." His face turned dark at that, and Estelle suppressed a shiver. "I'm sick of being treated like an invalid."

"No one is confining you here," she told him cautiously. "We're only worried about you, that's all. If you feel like you're ready to resume command of your men or go out on patrol with them, all I ask is that you be careful. I won't stop you." Estelle inhaled slowly as Flynn turned to look at her, meeting his eyes steadily and uneasily. Something was wrong with them... were they always that pale of a blue color? Then, he smiled at her somewhat sincerely, saluted, and left, the void of his presence making her shaky and breathless.

Someone moved at a pillar by her side, just outside where anyone on the balcony would have seen. "He shouldn't be left alone," came Raven's voice on Schwann's tones as he leaned against the stone, not quite looking at her. "Something's not been right with him since he came back and he won't talk with anyone about it. He's one bad moment away from cracking."

Estelle closed her eyes. "I know, Raven," she whispered. "And I can't get him to talk to anyone. Can you... at least go with him, make sure nothing happens?"

The older man grinned. "Of course, princess!" he drawled, the soldier voice dropping quickly. "Anythin' for our beautiful Estelle." He lazily saluted her as she smiled tiredly at him, then turned and followed Flynn, leaving her to grip the railing as a wave of dizziness overcame her.

Was Flynn's mental state getting worse? Letting him out of the palace, letting him start to resume his duties might actually help him, but she just didn't know. It could make things so much worse, especially if something happened that made him think of what he went through and he reacted poorly. And since he wouldn't talk about it so no one knew what that would be... Estelle placed a hand to her face, starting to feel overwhelmed. They had planned for a coup and returned with a wounded veteran instead. Everyone did what they could to help, but with Flynn not willing to let them in, they could only do so much. Her hands brushed over the railing, feeling the indentations where he had been gripping it, and could not suppress the shiver any longer.

"Yuri, come back soon," she murmured, her hands clasping under her chin.

* * *

Headquarters never changed. It could be months before he went back to report to Karol and get a new job, and the spot they chose as their headquarters just never seemed to change no matter how hard they tried. Yuri rubbed the corner of one eye, the little snatch of sleep he had gotten while Ba'ul was flying not enough. He just felt... strange. Off balance. There had been some crazy people in his bed at one point, but none of them had actively tried to kill them while they were having sex. The fact the first one to do so was Flynn, his best friend outside the bedroom and the most sane and longest of his partners, threw everything off. Something prickled inside his chest as he walked up to the door, a feeling of unease that he just couldn't shake. "Hey, Boss."

"Hey Y-" Karol turned around and jumped slightly. "What happened? Your neck!"

"Huh?" Yuri rubbed his throat, fulling remembering the hands that had fastened around them, fully aware of the bruises rising on his skin. "That's what I want to talk to you about. The Flynn thing I told you about? It's gotten worse. We need to find Judy."

Karol raised a hand to his mouth in thought. "She didn't tell you where she was going though, right? It'll be hard for the twins to find-"

"Start with Duke's last known location," he interrupted. "And you're sending them? Really? The creepy redhead twins?"

Karol grinned at him. "Come on, the Fabres are the best finders we have! They'll be able to find her in no time. Though, you sure she's looking for Duke?"

"I'm not sure of anything but it's a place to start," Yuri said grimly. "And if I'm right, he'll be a good person to have around too. Hey, I'm willing to be a client here for you to hire on. I'm good to pay the fee."

"Hey, whoa." Karol raised his hands. "Flynn's a friend and I'm worried about him too. I'll pay the Fabres out of my own pocket. It'll be okay." He walked over to his desk, frowning as he searched for paper. "What do you want them to tell her? To come back here as soon as possible?"

Yuri shook his head. "Zaphias. I actually need to get back right-"

Karol stopped his search, giving the older man a level look. "You look exhausted, Yuri. And it's almost dinner time. Hey, how about we go out and eat somewhere? You can pay for dinner. I think your room has been successfully defended by Repede, so you have a place to spend the night." He smiled at Yuri, and a thorny pang of emotion suddenly pulsed through his chest, making him have to close his eyes. He could take one night. Eat slightly questionable food that tasted wonderful and sleep on his hard, slightly lumpy, and far too comfortable bed with his animal best friend. Yes. He could do that. Yuri opened his eyes, and smirked at Karol.

"Okay, but I get to pick the joint. We're not eating at that place you picked last time."

* * *

The Lower Quarter never changed. He stopped briefly as nostalgia overtook him for a moment, his vision overtaken by memories of a young black haired orphan and Knights. He shook his head and took a deep breath, trying to shake them off. What he was here for was not a nostalgia trip, but to visit his troops on patrol. See how they were doing, and observe them. So far, things had been completely normal, a comfortable pair of trousers he could slip back on as if the past few months hadn't happened, as if the knot pulsing in his chest didn't exist.

People greeted him warmly as usual, many of the old mothers shocked and appalled at his appearance. He wasn't sure how, but after talking to one he had an apple in his hand and strict instructions to eat all of it. And he was certain that if he didn't, she would track him down and tan his hide, Commandant or not. She was frightening, and always had been, even when he and Yuri had been children. He mused over this as he walked through the streets, idly chewing a chunk of apple.

A commotion caught his attention. He picked up his pace as he turned towards it, dropping his food in his haste. A crowd had gathered around a food stall, the vendor holding a young boy's wrist in a vicious grip and shaking him. "-should just chop it off!" he was shouting at the youth, his face red. "You filth! Look, the Commandant himself is here. He'll punish you good!"

The boy glared up at the vendor, then at him, unrepentant of whatever crime he was being accused of. He spat at the booted feet, making the merchant curse and let him go. The boy tried to run, but he grabbed him. "What happened here?" he asked, his voice even and clear.

"I'll tell you! This little piece of filth stole some chicken." The man's chest was heaving, his eyes glittering with rage. He looked around, ready to ask if anyone had witnessed this when he noticed there were a few of his Knights standing nearby, passing a few pieces of Gald between them and elbowing each other. "He should be punished. He should have those thieving hands cut off!"

He lifted his chin slightly, making sure he could be heard over the muttering of the crowd. "You. Knights. What is it that you saw?"

His men jumped, not realizing they had been seen. One of them, an older man that had been in the Knights for a while and had never rising through the ranks, though not from lack of trying, stepped forward. He had never quite liked him, both from his youth and from the way he rose through the ranks so quickly. "We just arrived on the scene," he said smoothly, a clear lie from how one of his friend snickered behind him. "We saw nothing."

He didn't even nod at that. It was so obvious that he was lying. A white hot burst of rage exploded in his chest and he threw the boy at the vendor, taking three long steps towards the surprised Knight and punching him in the face, ignoring the screams from the crowd around him. They had seen what happened. They had watched a boy steal and done nothing about it. And when the merchant was about to take vengeance into his own hands, they were just going to stand around, gambling on it of all things! He kicked the fallen Knight, his world constricting to punishing the man in front of him. How dare he promise to uphold the laws of the Empire, then break them so openly? He picked up the man, punching him again and feeling the satisfaction as teeth flew and bones broke. If he tried...

He could kill this man.

The idea ran through him, hot through his veins and centering in his chest. It sounded right. Punishment didn't work. Every time they tried to punish anyone that broke the laws, they just went right back to doing what they did wrong. They went right back to hurting people. And he had made a promise to protect people, to make them smile. He should kill this man, this person that broke the oath and hurt others.

An arm draped over his shoulder suddenly, breaking him out his rage. He looked up into Raven's smiling mask. "Hey, Flynn," he drawled easily. "Think ya made yer point. Hey." He nodded to the other Knights, and they stepped forward cautiously. "Make sure he gets to the medical ward, yeah?" Without waiting to make sure it was done, Raven turned and steered him away, starting to leave the scene.

"Hey!" The merchant grabbed Raven's arm, furious. "The brat got away. What are you going to do about it, huh?"

Raven easily shrugged him off. "Ya overpricing yer chicken anyway." Without another word, he led him away, leaving the vendor gaping in rage. "So, what do ya want to do?" he asked as they walked, scratching his stubble with his free hand. "I think we can still get some grub if yer hungry. Tavern should still be open too for a round."

He pushed Raven off. "I'm not inter-" His legs suddenly buckled, weakness spreading up his body. He had used up too much strength far too quickly. Whenever he felt that kind of rage, he always did... that sort of strength was always used way too fast. "I should return to my room," he said instead. "I think I pushed myself too much today."

"Sure." The older man shrugged easily, turning their path towards the palace. "Ya need a hand getting there?"

"No." The word came out short, clipped. "I can make it back on my own."

That strength that came during the hot rage... it was useful. It was more than anything he could have expected even when he had a blastia. But he used it up far too quickly. He would have to learn how to partition it out, to use it slowly so he didn't exhaust himself like this. His eyes followed Raven's form as the man left, thinking. Even the guilds weren't interested in upholding laws meant to make everyone happy... to make everyone safe...

He was the only one that could do it.

* * *

Raven knew secrets. He had kept more than a few in his own lifetime, and he knew there was a difference between secrets he could let people keep, and when the secret was about to come back and hurt everyone around them. Right about now, what Flynn was keeping could easily become the second category. At the same time... if this was something that he wanted to keep quiet, something that was personal to him, Raven didn't want to air his dirty laundry everywhere. So instead of going to Estelle, he found himself in front of Flynn room, holding a bottle of red wine and two glasses as he knocked on the door. When the door cracked open, he held them up, grinning. "Hey. Ya got a moment?"

Flynn looked at him for a long moment, then opened the door. "You don't usually pay me a visit," he said as Raven stepped past him, closing the door. "I don't think you've ever paid anyone a visit."

Raven shrugged, pulling out a dagger and working on uncorking the wine. "Doesn't mean I won't. 'Sides, I'm not gonna drink this all by myself. Done that before, got that hangover. C'mon, take a seat and be a good host."

There was a moment, then Flynn slowly walked over to the small desk and sat down as he finally pulled the cork free and poured two glasses. It wasn't terrifically good wine, but it had a nice earthy nose that melded well with the velvety texture. It had a sharp taste like it should have aged a little longer, but Flynn didn't look like he caught on to that as he sipped it slowly. "It's good," he said finally, putting the glass down.

He chuckled, taking another drink before putting his own glass down. "So, ya doin' alright? Had kinda a full day today."

"Ah." Flynn sat back, looking at him. "I'm fine. I'm just a little tired right now. Like you said-"

"What did that guy say, anyway?" Raven interrupted. "You don't usually go off on people like that for no reason." He knew his former life was poking through as he spoke, but he didn't care right now. Flynn might actually respond better to Schwann than Raven anyway. "You've been on edge since you've returned, and you haven't talked to anyone about what happened. I know Yuri's worried about you, and Estelle too. They'd be willing to listen to you." Flynn's lips twitched as he stood, pacing as if he was agitated. Raven let him, hoping it was a good sign, that he was about to make a breakthrough and the blond man was about to say something. "Hell, I'll listen. I know what it's like to want to keep secrets."

"You won't be able to help," Flynn said quietly, and Raven felt hope rise. He was finally saying something. He was finally talking about it. "You're just a guilds member." With those confusing words, he walked back over to his desk, picking up his wine glass and looking at it.

"Haven't always been," he told him, just as quietly. "And you know about what Alexei held over me."

"You still break and ignore the laws meant to keep people safe and happy," came the cold response. Flynn turned his gaze to Raven, pinning him with too pale blue eyes. "You let the boy that was stealing get away today. And you're not the only one. All of your guild... all the guilds break the laws."

As he spoke, his shirt he was wearing to bed shifted slightly. Raven's breath stuttered as he noticed the stone that had been confined to his chest creeping up his neck. "Flynn-"

"Guilds aren't the only one," he said softly, almost to himself. "The Knights are corrupt too. They don't deserve to live if they're going to take an oath to protect the people, to uphold the laws to make them safe, happy, to make them smile, and then trample all over that. There's no one here that will do it."

The mad mutterings made everything click into place, and Raven stood suddenly, knocking his glass of wine over. He wished he had thought of bringing his bow with him instead of just his dagger, that he had considered that Flynn could be dangerous. "You're talking about killing innocent people," he tried, his voice even.

"No I'm not." Flynn sounded as if his words were perfectly reasonable. "They're hurting the innocents. I'm protecting them." At that, his eyes sharpened. "You're hurting innocents." Before the last word could leave his lips, he rushed at Raven, grabbing his sword and unsheathing it. He had forgotten how fast Flynn could be and only barely managed to dodge the swipe. The dagger in his hand felt inadequate as he circled, wishing he had his bow or a sword. Or at least more open space than the tiny, cramped room. His foot hit something and he faltered for a moment, having to regain his balance, and Flynn took the opening.

The sword pierced his stomach, going all the way through. Raven choked as the pain coursed through him, sudden and hard. Flynn was stronger than he realized. Much stronger. "You shouldn't have let him go," the younger man whispered. "I wouldn't have had to kill you." Raven looked at him, grunting as Flynn pulled the sword free in one motion, grabbing his hair and pulling it back. "Goodbye, Raven."

With one motion, he slit his throat. In the last moment of consciousness, he felt something hit him in the chest, right over his heart, shattering it.

And then.

Nothing.


	7. Chapter 7

Early morning always held a stillness, no matter what city it dawned in. In that moment before people woke, there was a quiet that blanketed the streets. Slowly, as parents woke, the ones staying at home to start housework and the ones out at work leaving for the day, a buzz would start. Shrieks of outrage and glee would join as children woke, ready to add their voices as well. A new day started as normal, the streets of Zaphias the usual quiet in the morning dawn.

Only this time it was broken by a horrified scream, too loud and piercing to be anything but alarming. It continued, drawing a crowd down to the Lower Quarter and the body staining the stone streets. Some people started to whisper among themselves, recognizing the body. It had been a street rat, one whose parents had rarely cared where he had gone. He had filched food and little trinkets, his most recent adventure having been the day before when a food vendor had caught him and Commandant Flynn himself had intervened. Murmurs circulated through the crowd as they realized who the victim was, speculation as to what could have happened. Who possibly could have stabbed him and left him to die like that.

Which was when two similar cries of horror came from the palace, one from the medical ward and one...

-from where the Commandant resided.

* * *

Waking up to a nose full of fur had been something Yuri had privately missed. It'd been too long since he had woken up to Repede's warmth, and it was nice to have. He ruffled the dog's ears, chuckling as he opened his only good eye. "'morning," he said conversationally, digging his fingers into the fur and scratching. Repede's eye closed again in contentment as Yuri's fingers worked. "You've been left here all alone for a while now. Karol taking good care of you?" Repede grumbled slightly, an affirmative sound. "Yeah, he's good for that." A thought occurred to him, and Yuri sat up, making his friend grumble and glare at him. "Hey, you know how Flynn's doing, right? You want to come with me to Zaphias and see if you can do anything to help?"

In response, Repede yawned and jumped down, stretching. Then he sat down a little ways from the bed, head cocked as if asking "why aren't you dressed and we on our way yet, human?" Yuri chuckled at that, following suit. Something felt like it had eased inside him, that he could face returning to Zaphias. It was amazing what just one night of rest and relaxation could do. After dressing and leaving his room, he hesitated. "We should probably say goodbye to Karol," he informed Repede, and the dog butted his head against Yuri's leg in response. He laughed and patted Repede's flank, turning to visit their boss.

Just as they reached the door, it opened, letting the twins out. One of them, the one with darker hair, glared at him as they passed by. Yuri rolled his eyes, trying to ignore just how creepy he found them. He couldn't deny they could find people better than anyone else - the darker redhead considered his younger twin inferior and always had to do better, while the lighter haired twin always tried to prove he was just as good by trying to beat him out in finding the person first - but they just had a vibe about them that Yuri found disquieting. Good thing was that if they were on a job, they were out of his life for the moment and he didn't have to hear their fights. Yuri poked his head in and saw Karol's head on his desk, knowing his young boss had to be thinking the same thing. He shook his head, and knocked on the door frame. "Yo, boss."

Karol's head shot up, eyes wide with surprise before a wide smile broke across his lips. "Yuri! Leaving already?"

To that, Yuri gave him a slight salute. "Taking Repede with me. Hey... thanks, for everything." Gratitude hung heavily in his chest, choking the rest of his words. Karol shook his head, putting his hand behind it and laughing slightly.

"What for? I mean, just doing for Flynn what any friend would do, right?" He stood, coming over to the two of them. "Just let me know how he's doing, okay?"

Yuri nodded, trying to swallow around the lump in his throat. "I'll see you later," he finally managed, feeling a twist of emotion welling inside him. He could feel Repede turning to him, a disconcerted whine starting before he reached down, stroking his ears. "It's just been a long month and... well, you'll see what happened to Flynn," he whispered to him. Repede pressed against him, and he closed his eyes.

Everything had to be okay now.

* * *

The last servant left and Estelle sank into her seat, her face in her hands. Her breath shuddered hard in her chest as her memory brought forth the distressing scenes she had seen earlier in the day. Seeing the scene in the medical ward had been hard enough, but the worst had been in Flynn's room. Her hands started to shake as her stomach turned, remembering how Raven looked: terrified, betrayed, and covered in his own blood. She felt a hand on her shoulder, trying to pull her out of the web of memories, and she lifted her head to look at her cousin's worried face. "I'm fine," she reassured him, her shaky voice belying her words. What she had heard echoed in her head, and she turned her gaze back to her hands. "Ioder... what are we going to tell Yuri?"

She heard him take a long breath, then he let go of her shoulder to sit next to her. "I don't know," he told her, quietly blunt. "He's not going to believe us. I don't even fully believe this is happening. Flynn... this isn't him. This isn't like him at all." The hope that the servants that had witnessed his bloody form escaping were mistaken, that it was like Aurnion and there was something else going on, hung in the air.

"Do you remember what his men said?" Estelle said softly, distantly. "He had gotten in a fight yesterday. That's why one of his men was in the medical ward... Flynn had beaten him up." Her hands clasped together hard as she tried to control her breathing. "And Raven stopped them. Ioder..."

"I know," he said, subdued. "I know."

Estelle fell silent for a moment, trying to frame her words correctly. "Do you think we're wrong?" she finally asked, her voice small. "That he's just... maybe kidnapped or something?"

"I'm hoping we are," came the reply. "But the evidence is more concrete this time. No, I don't think we're wrong. I just hope we are."

There wasn't anything she could say to that. Instead, Estelle took a deep breath, wishing Rita was there. She had gotten a letter saying that she was finishing up and should be on her way at any time now, but the problem was she wasn't there now. She closed her eyes, summoning the strength to stand and return to her duties.

"Highness Ioder! Lady Estellise!" They both jumped slightly as a servant rushed into the room, out of breath. "I have news!" The two of them looked at each other, nervous and apprehensive, and before Ioder could speak, "We've received word that the Entelexeia that Yuri Lowell has been riding has been spotted!"

"Yuri!" Without realizing it, Estelle stood. Her mind whirled; what would she tell him? She knew how Yuri felt for Flynn, even if he wouldn't admit it. She had seen just how worried he had been for the Commandant before he left. Hearing that he was strongly implicated in the murder of at least two people, perhaps a third considering the murder in the Lower Quarter had very interesting timing, what would that do? How could they even say that to him? "Ioder-"

"You should be the one," he told her softly. "He'll believe it from a friend. I'm sorry."

A small bead of resentment welled in her, but she nodded. He was right. Ioder wasn't just pushing it off on her because he didn't want to do it - in fact, if he felt Yuri would listen to him, Ioder would be the one getting up to tell him right now. She stood, smiling slightly at him. "I understand," she said, just as softly.

She just hoped she could convince Yuri as well.

* * *

The streets of Zaphias were eerily quiet. Any time a human voice was heard, it echoed louder than it should have. Yuri and Repede didn't even have to look at each other as they turned their steps towards the Lower Quarter, and familiar territory. Something was going on, and they would know something different than Estelle and everyone in the palace.

"Yuri!" A youthful voice rang out, and from out of the crowd came the familiar figure of Ted. He found himself smiling as the boy ran up to him, waving his arms. It was strangely familiar in the middle of all the solemn behavior. "There's been a murder!"

And that was the end of the smile. Instantly, Yuri's hand started creeping towards his sword, as if the murderer was still in the area and he would have to fight against him. Or her, he did remember a certain woman stabbing him in the chest. A horrible thought hit him, and he heard Repede make a worried noise next to him as his hands tightened. "Flynn-"

Relief just as large crashed over him as Ted shook his head, until, "We can't find him anywhere. We went to the castle to report it to Flynn like he told us if something like this happened, and we were turned away. It wasn't until Estelle came out and started asking us about Flynn that we figured out that he's missing."

The words roared in his ears, drowning out everything else. He could feel Repede butting against his leg, but he couldn't hear Ted's next words, or anything else. Without replying, Yuri turned suddenly, racing for the palace. Something was wrong. Flynn didn't just disappear. He had to be taken, or he wandered out and with the state of mind he was in- Yuri tried to ignore the voice in his head, quietly reminding him that since Aurnion, he had been doing a lot of things that wasn't like him.

As always, the guards at the gates stopped him. "I don't have time-" Yuri started to snap, breaking off as he felt Repede's teeth on his hand, warning him. Which was odd, since Repede rarely stopped him. He took a breath, trying not to overreact. "What is it this time?" he asked instead, not bothering to hide the impatience in his voice. "I need to see Estelle."

"She asked that you be detained here," one of them told him, her voice strangely quiet. "Lady Estellise will be here presently."

That made Yuri blink, looking at the two guards. They both looked haggard, as if they had been there for too long. Not just that, but there was a palpable sorrow about both of them. A chill ran up his spine, and he opened his mouth to ask more questions when Estelle appeared. All of them were promptly forgotten when he saw the slight red rimming of her eyes, the blotchy flushed cheeks, and the mask-like smile on her lips. "Estelle..."

She shook her head. "Not here," Estelle told him, her voice worryingly subdued. "My room will be quiet."

The words didn't help put him at ease. Yuri shook his head, crossing his arms. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me where Flynn is."

At that, her face crumpled. Breath stopped in his throat as fresh tears welled in her eyes, and she willed them away. "We don't know," she said, finally. "Please, Yuri."

He looked at her, the princess on the edge of tears, and wondered what could have brought her there. Finally, he nodded. "Fine. Come on, Repede, we actually have an invitation this time." Without looking at the guards, he followed Estelle through a similarly eerie quiet palace, hit suddenly with memory of the first time they met. It felt like crawling through there at night, with the stillness in the air, made even more odd by all the quiet, dead eyed people passing by them. Estelle lead them to her room, and shut the door firmly behind them before she finally collapsed into tears.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled, trying to wipe away the falling tears. "While you were gone... Raven's dead, Yuri. He was found in Flynn's room-"

Of all the things he expected to hear, that was the one things furthest from it. Whatever else she had to say fell away as the words hit him. Raven, dead. In Flynn's room. "How?" he interrupted. "Raven was a soldier too, and he had years of experience over Flynn. There should have been no way that anyone could have-" He shook his head. "You're seriously not trying to tell me Flynn killed him! Flynn's not that far gone, and Raven would have been able to stop him!"

Estelle nodded. "I know," came the quiet response. "And whoever did kill Raven... it was vicious. He was stabbed and his throat slit... and s-somehow... his heart blastia was shattered. But, Yuri... there's been another murder. An Imperial Knight under Flynn's command, that I was told about a fight between him and Flynn yesterday. He... he beat him up pretty badly. And there's a third, a young boy that was stealing that Flynn might have seen yesterday. And some of the servants say they saw a man leaving the palace, bloody, and they gave a good description of Fl-"

"It's like Aurnion all over again," Yuri broke in, his voice heated. "That's all we have, and we're jumping to the conclusion that Flynn went evil? What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Estelle winced, and Repede growled. At him. Yuri ignored him, feeling fed up with this. They were so quick to jump to the idea that their friend went down the same path as the last Commandant. And look where it lead them, three months of Flynn being kept captive and starved! Yuri opened his mouth to say something when he heard, "I want everything to be okay." Estelle looked up at him, her eyes shining. "I want everything to be okay," she repeated, her voice a little stronger. "I want this to just be a misunderstanding, or for Flynn to be in trouble again! At least we can save him if he's in trouble, and we know about it sooner now! But, I- Yuri, Raven's dead. Someone murdered him, and in the same night, there were two other murders having to do with a fight Flynn had that day. Either someone is taking revenge on him and we need to find him now or..." She couldn't finish, and shook her head. "I want to be wrong," she said miserably. "I just want everything to go back to normal, for Flynn to come back and be his old self..."

"Hey." Yuri stepped forward, pulling her into a hug and feeling like an ass. He didn't realize how hard this would be on her, forgetting that Flynn was as much her friend as his. "Look, I get it. Just... every time you've told me something like this, it's that Flynn going evil is your first thought. He's not like that. He's a good guy at heart, just twisted up right now from what he went through. He wouldn't have killed Raven. Repede and I will go find him, okay? And everything will be fine."

She hugged him back, nodding. "I want to go with you. I feel so useless like this. If Flynn's in trouble, I need to help him."

Yuri shook his head. "Repede and I will be enough. Don't you have things to take care of here, like... Raven's funeral or the investigation?"

Estelle hesitated. "I... figured I'd release the body to Brave Vesperia," she said, hesitant. "Let Karol find a place to bury him that's... that's not the military cemetery." She looked up at him, and Yuri got it. She was offering to let him be buried as Raven, not as Schwann as everyone in Zaphias would insist. He pulled her into a tighter hug, understanding her compassion even in his death. She squeaked slightly as he held her too tightly, and he loosened his arms, not letting her go quite yet.

Not yet. Not when they both needed a friend to cry on.

* * *

Reports of a bloodied man, looking a lot like Commandant Flynn, came pouring in within the hour. They all said the same thing, that he was alone, looking strangely calm for how he looked, was armed with a naked blade, and was heading towards Halure. Deja vu hit Yuri hard, remembering how his last journey started. Hopefully this one wouldn't take him all the way around the world and reveal a huge plot to destroy it.

Hopefully.

As Yuri left the palace, he looked up, and stopped. And sighed. "Estelle, I told you-"

"I'm not going with you," she interrupted. She was dressed in her white travelling outfit, shield and sword in hand, and looking a lot like she was leaving with him. "I'm going to Aspio. Rita's been caught up in her experiments, and when you bring Flynn back, we're going to need her expertise in blastia. So I'm going to go help her finish and bring her back. I just... wanted to say goodbye, and good luck." Estelle turned, motioning to the mounts next to her. "I don't know if Repede can ride with you."

"He can run faster than us anyway," Yuri assured her. "Thanks, Estelle." He gave her a brief smile as he checked the mount, pausing as she came closer.

"Thank you," she whispered. Before she could say anything else - and probably embarrass herself by breaking down in public - Estelle swung herself into the seat of her mount and started off. Yuri watched her go, keeping an eye on her too perfect riding form and feeling his heart ache at the pain his friend was hiding.

"This ends now," he told Repede. "We're going to find Flynn and force him to get help." With those words, he climbed into the saddle and started off, bouncing slightly as his mount's trot was not comfortable in the least. He had forgotten how terrible it could be. At least they were off, and quickly. With luck, they would be able to find Flynn before he reached Halure.

The ground flew under him as they travelled, faster than he was used to. He had spent most of his life on foot, only recently able to cross long distances quickly with Ba'ul, and it was different to be able to hold onto an animal and feel wind rush past while his objective came closer faster and faster. Yuri swallowed, leaning down and holding on tightly. All they to go on were reports that Flynn was going this way. What if they were wrong? What if it was just a rumor being spread and he was actually being taken somewhere else? He shook his head, trying to focus. He had to trust this was it. Exhaust this possibility first. If he was wrong... hell, the creepy twins could find anyone. They could find Flynn.

On the outskirts of Halure, he finally caught sight of Flynn. Without waiting for his mount to come to any sort of stop, Yuri tumbled out of the saddle, staggering towards him on legs not used to riding for so long. "Flynn!"

The cry and the clatter of him falling stopped him, though he didn't yet turn. Next to Yuri, Repede's hackles went up and he started growling. "Yuri. Repede. I didn't... think I'd see you again." His voice caught halfway through on some unnamed emotion. Now that he had stopped, Yuri could take a good look at him, and see that he was still in his sleeping clothes. Not only that, but he hadn't even put on shoes. Something was terribly wrong, and he sent a private word of thanks to Estelle for thinking about getting Rita away from her experiments.

"I was only gone a day," he said, his voice cautious. "Had to ask Karol for a favor. Are you okay, Flynn?"

He gestured with his sword arm, and Yuri noted the blood caking his arm and sword with rising alarm. "Have you ever had something just become clear?" he asked, his voice perfectly reasonable. "You realize everything you've been doing, everything that has been done... could be done so much better?" The words chilled Yuri as Repede pulled out his knife, still growling. Slowly, Flynn turned to them, and he started. The stone had crawled up the Commandant's face, cupping his chin and slowly streaking over his cheek. His eyes were so pale a blue they were nearly colorless. He looked... demonic. "You've realized it, haven't you, Yuri?" Flynn asked him, almost eagerly. "The laws are meant to keep everyone happy and safe, and we need to uphold those laws. But the Knights are corrupt, and no amount of punishment will stop them. They break the same laws they're tasked to uphold, and no trial will change them. We have to keep the people safe. We have to uphold the laws."

Yuri took a step back, trying to get away from the force of the insanity before him. "What about what you believe?" he asked, his voice thick with horror. "Everyone deserves justice? To go through the system and be judged for their crimes?"

"It doesn't work," came the simple answer. "You've seen it too, haven't you? That's why you're in a guild instead of a Knight. The system doesn't work how it is. We're the only ones that hold the laws. We should be the ones to enforce them." Flynn held out his hand to Yuri. "We can make our dreams come true this way."

He sounded so... reasonable. Like he thought everything he said was the truth, how it should be. It was terrifying just how calm Flynn sounded, how wrong those insane words sounded from his mouth. "That's not you," he tried, one last effort. "There's something wrong with you, Flynn. What you went through in Aurnion, that stone... it's changing you. Come on, back to Zaphias. Estelle's going to Aspio to get Rita, and we'll help you. We're going to make it better-"

"Nothing wrong," Flynn interrupted, sudden fury blazing. "I'm not sick, and this is me. I've only come to my senses!" He pointed his sword at him, eyes narrowing. "I should have known. Ragou, Cumore... you kill whoever you want. You break whatever laws you want. I should have known you would have said that." He started to rush at him, only to be intercepted by Repede, giving Yuri time to pull his own sword free. Repede pushed Flynn back with a good body slam, circling him and growling. Yuri held back, ready to defend but not ready to attack his best friend and lover. Not yet.

"Flynn. I don't want to do this." If he could just...

"Then you shouldn't have broken the law," Flynn replied, terrifyingly simple and reasonable. Then he turned, away from Repede, and thrust at Yuri. Without thinking about it, Yuri dodged the blow and swung, muscle memory kicking in. Flynn stopped, his eyes wide as he dropped his sword. He looked down, seeing Yuri's blade sticking out of his stomach. "Yuri..."

They both looked at the sword sticking out, Flynn with confusion and Yuri with rising horror. The dark haired swordsman opened his mouth, trying to say something as he pulled the sword out and stepped forward, when Flynn pulled something out from under his shirt and struck. It bit into his side, deep, making him gasp. Yuri looked down, catching Flynn pull Raven's dagger out of his side with a grunt. With one last, impossible show of strength, Flynn struck, and Yuri retaliated without realizing it.

The dagger came to rest on his chest, the point scratching right over the scar left by Sodia. Flynn looked at him, startled and pained, as Yuri's sword pierced his throat. Slowly, he dropped the dagger and slumped on his lover, dislodging the sword from Yuri's numbed hands. Yuri raised his hands, carefully holding Flynn as he bled out on top of him. He could hear Repede coming over to him, making a distressed noise, but he didn't see him. He just saw Flynn's face, confused, as they sank to their knees and the life faded from his eyes. He just felt the warmth of his blood covering him, mingling with his own.

And he held his childhood best friend and lover as he died, unable to breathe.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Fair Warning Time: There is a suicide attempt in here. Proceed with caution.

* * *

It never got easier to smell dead bodies, especially knowing what awaited them ahead. She started to breathe through her mouth, her stomach turning from the stronger scent. It had gotten worse, as the bodies had rotten and ripened in the the heat. Her eyes looked over at her companion, seeing his jaw set as he caught wind of the same thing. "Had no one buried the bodies?" he asked her, his voice quiet.

"We were too busy getting Flynn to safety to think about burying anyone," she told him, voice deceptively mild and light. "And if no one from Zaphias has been here, they've been waiting for him to become lucid enough so they can hear from him who captured him and make sure what happened to him won't happen to their troops." Even if Yuri and herself would be able to tell them that everyone responsible was dead.

He nodded at her, acquiescing. They continued on in silence from there, then he stopped, looking around. "Interesting."

She turned, her head tilting slightly. "Did you hear something?"

"No. And that's what's interesting." He tilted his head as if he could tell what was wrong. "Not even a bird."

"Hm." He wasn't wrong. No hint of animal life around them at all, not even a bird song. He caught her gaze, unease threading between them. If even the animals had left... there wasn't much more they could do than keep going, and see what could be found.

* * *

"We're back before them." Rita held a hand to her mouth as she thought, lounging in her chair. "Think we should go after Yuri?"

Estelle shook her head. "We did rush," she reminded her. While Rita did try to sneak one more experiment in, she managed to distract her lover enough to pull her out of Aspio. "And... it might be worse for Flynn if we're there."

"Yeah, but if Yuri needs help, we should be there," Rita argued. "It'll do us a fat lot a good to be sitting here on our asses if he's neck deep in his usual trouble."

The image that her words brought up made Estelle swallow, looking down at her hands. Flynn had been so unlike himself... "I'm worried that if we go, he might attack us" she said softly. "You haven't seen him, Rita. He's been so unpredictable and angry. If we go, he might see it as a threat and attack. And it's not, we just want to help him. I... we need to trust Yuri."

For a moment, Rita thought about the words. Then, she stood, shaking her head. "Nope. You can trust him all you want, but I trust his ability to get into trouble more. I'm going after him."

"Rita!" Estelle followed after her, distressed. This could be bad. If Flynn's mind was that badly gone and he attacked Rita... she was a mage. She couldn't take physical damage like Yuri could. Despairingly, she grabbed her hand. "At least let me come with you," she whispered. They could protect each other that way. After a moment, the younger mage nodded, turning her hand to grip hers.

"I'm not waiting," she told her, serious. "If you're coming, we're leaving now."

Estelle swallowed, not liking the idea of leaving without letting Ioder know in case they needed backup, but she gave a short nod in response. She was still ready to travel. Rita gave her a brief smile before leading her back out of the castle. It wasn't too difficult to get a mount ready, and before she knew it, Estelle was clinging to Rita's waist as they rode out at top speed in the direction the two men had gone. The younger girl wasn't as good a rider, but she refused to let Estelle take the lead.

As ground passed under them, Estelle's stomach turned. How far would they have to go? Would they get there in time? If Flynn was hurt... her hands tightened on Rita's clothes. She wouldn't be able to help. Her artes would be useless. Her mind spun around itself until three sharp barks drew her out of it, and she raised her head as Rita slowed down. "Is that-?"

"Yeah," came the grim answer, and Estelle looked around her slim shoulder. And gasped at the sight.

Repede's attention was set on keeping two bodies on top another mount. Estelle found a scream rising in her throat at the way both Yuri and Flynn bounced and the amount of blood covering them, and she covered her mouth. Then, the scream turned into a sob as Yuri stirred, turning a pale and empty face towards them. She had seen that look dozens, no, hundreds of times on other soldiers' faces. She never expected to see such a detached, shocked looked on Yuri's face. Estelle slid of the mount's back and rushed over to them, her lips already forming the chant for Healing Circle as she ran. There was too much blood not to take that precaution. She finished as she skidded to a halt by their side, suddenly realizing as it cast it might have been the wrong arte. Her hand reached out, shaking, as she touched the fatal, unbleeding wound at Flynn's throat, noticing the way the stone had crawled up the side of his throat and across his cheek. "Yuri..."

He didn't respond, and Repede nudged his leg. The dark haired man looked down at him, almost uncomprehending, then over at Estelle. His tongue flicked out, licking his lips as he struggled to break through the shock that had overtaken him. "Estelle," he finally croaked out. "It's too late," Yuri followed up as she started a Resurrection, taking her hands with his. "He's gone."

The chant faded as she bit back a sob. "What happened?" she asked instead, quietly. Yuri took his hands away, and she gasped as she realized her hands were covered in blood. "Yuri! Your hands!"

"Oh. Yeah." He looked down at them, then pulled up his shirt a bit. She could hear Rita let out a loud curse as he revealed a mess of blood soaked gauze. "He stabbed me," Yuri said, his voice hollow and distant. Estelle's gaze snapped to his face, not even sure he knew what he was saying. "I took a couple of Apple Gels. They... didn't help."

Estelle felt the blood drain from her face as she stared up at him, not wanting to comprehend what he just said. "Can I...?" she whispered, her hand hovering over the gauze. She had cast a healing arte. That had to have helped. Yuri didn't have that stone in him. No one had installed a blastia heart in Yuri... At his nod, she peeled the sodden gauze away from the wound, and gasped.

It was still open and bleeding, as raw as ever. Without thinking about it, First Aid rose to her lips as her fingers hovered over the edges, her vision starting to blur with unshed tears. Once she cast it, she lowered her hands, hope and fear building in her throat, choking out everything else.

"Holy shit," Rita muttered behind her, coming up with one hand to her lips. They both looked at the stab wound, untouched by everything she had done. "Estelle, can you cast another First Aid? I need to take a look at how it affected him and-"

"Rita!" Estelle turned to her, her voice sharp as her girlfriend started to slip into scientific inquiry. "Now isn't the time! We need to get him back to the castle and have the doctors look at him. Once we're sure his life isn't in danger, then you can experiment on him all you want!"

Rita looked at her, taken aback. Her face started to fall into angry lines, then her eyes closed. "Yeah yeah," she muttered. "I get it." Her eyes snapped over to Flynn's body, and she took a deep breath, speaking quietly to Estelle. "Whoever goes with him can't ride with him and..." She trailed off, not sure how to refer to Flynn. "I can take-"

"Yuri," Estelle told her firmly. "Make sure Yuri gets to the medical ward. I'll..." Her voice hesitated as well, but she lifted her chin. "I'll make sure Flynn makes it back. Don't worry." She smiled, taking Rita's hands as she frowned. "You'll want to do experiments anyway. Go on. Repede." She let go of her girlfriend's hands to kneel, watching one ear flick towards her as the dog's head didn't move from his best friend's pale form. "Watch over Yuri and Rita for me, please?"

She got a brief bark in response, and stood, looking at Rita's unhappy mien. "I don't like this," she told her sternly, hands on her hips. "You know I have the bedside manner of a Rhybargo. And they're going to ask questions I can't answer. At least-"

"Please," Estelle interrupted, her voice starting to break. Rita jumped slightly, starting to take in just how hard she was fighting to hold herself together. "Just... take him back."

"Okay," came the quiet response, almost immediately. She reached out briefly, almost touching her before Estelle shook her head. She needed to be strong, just for a little longer. Rita nodded, understanding, and they started the unpleasant process of moving Flynn's body. Bile rose in Estelle's throat as she couldn't help but notice how his body moved, unnaturally relaxed and unresisting. Once it was done, Rita hesitated. "Will you-"

"I'll be fine," she lied, putting on a brave smile. "Go."

Rita paused, then leaned in, giving her a brief kiss before mounting behind Yuri to hold him up and starting off. She turned to watch Estelle as long as she could, before they were finally out of sight. For a moment, Estelle turned and looked at Flynn. It was when her hand brushed over the blood matted hair when the sob building in her throat escaped violently. Her knees hit the dirt as her arms wrapped around her, the weeks of worry, of watching Flynn become more and more unstable hitting her. Finally, alone, she let herself cry at the stress, at the worry, at her uselessness, and at the loss of a good friend.

* * *

"I've seen enough."

She jumped, his voice loud in the silence. His eyes were narrowed as he took in the bodies, not even having bent down to touch a single one. She stood, wiping off her hands. "And?"

"Some of them look like it spread more than others," he said thoughtfully, frowning as his fingers touched his chin. "The more violent deaths looked as if they had spread the most. How was the Commandant's mood again?"

Her chin lifted, catching on. "You think this is an infection."

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "But the stone, that is not a blastia. Or at least not any normal blastia. And the fact the bodies are only decomposing, not eaten by scavengers, is another warning sign. Animals are actively avoiding them, and they are usually smart enough to know when something is infected and will make them sick to eat." He noticed her looking at her blood covered hands, and shook his head. "You have no open wounds, correct?"

"Yes..." she said slowly, still worried.

"You should have your Miss Mordio take a look at you when you return, but I would assume you're fine." He turned to look over the dead, his eyes flinching slightly. It was more difficult than she realized on him to see so many slaughtered, both military and civilian. "You said there's one more place you wish for me to see?"

She nodded, sweeping past him. "This way," she added, indicating with her head. He followed gracefully, as usual, and they set out towards the structure she had seen on her last trip. As they walked, there was a feeling they were being watched. She turned slightly, seeing him look side to side without turning his head and making it too obvious. "You too?" she asked in a low voice, getting an affirmative noise in return.

"Whoever it is, they're not a threat," he told her in a similar voice. "Not yet."

Somehow, that was reassuring. She nodded, continuing on. If whoever it was wasn't going to attack them yet, she wasn't going to bother to address them. They were on a mission, and didn't have time for things like this. If she remembered from what she saw in the air, they had to go over here...

A wave of dizziness hit her, and she swayed on her feet. She could hear someone talking, but it sounded from far away, and through walls. It wasn't until she felt the presence at her side that something inside her snapped to attention and she pulled out her spear, pointing it right at the threat. Golden eyes met her as he backed away from her spear point, pulling out his sword. There was a threat, and she had to eliminate it. Though... her brow furrowed, trying to figure out why this felt wrong. She saw his mouth move, a familiar shape, but the sound that resulted was garbled. Meaningless. It kept going, making words that made no sense. But they were supposed to, she knew that. She focused, trying to hear it, then-

"Judith." Just her name, spoken in that deep voice, but it penetrated the unnatural paranoia. The tip of her spear dropped as she backed up, her eyes wide. "Can you hear me now? What is it?"

"I can hear you," she said shakily. "And we need to get out of here. This-" She broke off as she caught sight of something bright, vivid, and very familiar. He lifted his sword again, mistaking her actions as another fall into insanity until she shook her head and marched right past him. Quickly, without letting her prey realize she had seen him, she snuck up behind the redhead, and spun her spear, whacking him gently in the head with the end.

"Ow!" He turned around, glaring at her as he held his head. "What the hell, woman?"

"Hello Asch," she said pleasantly, resisting the urge to give him another, harder knock. "What does Karol need?"

She felt her traveling companion coming up behind her, knowing he was probably bemused at the entire situation as the teen snorted. "Yuri's looking for you," he told her, obviously reciting the message. "Things have gotten worse at Zaphias. You and who's with you are needed back, as soon as possible."

The words hit her hard, making her swallow. Yuri trusted her; he wouldn't send word for her unless things had gotten really bad. "I got it," she acknowledged, passing him a small bag of Gald. "We're on our way." She turned to her companion, not even bothering with a smile. "Shall we be on our way?"

* * *

As Estelle wearily finished yet another casting of First Aid, Rita leaned in, looking at Yuri's stitched wound. "This makes no sense," she murmured, looking back at her calculations. "It seems like the spell connects, but if you look closely, you can tell at the last second something pushes it away. There's something around him that's interrupting the arte. Estelle, can you-"

"No." Yuri pushed Rita away viciously, ignoring the princess's sharp rebuke. "I'm tired of being a test subject. You have no fucking clue what wrong, right? So stop treating me like one of your damned experiments and let me get some rest."

Estelle's face paled, her eyes growing wide in horror, then her jaw jumped as she swallowed. "Yuri," she started, before he cut her off.

"Don't. I don't want to hear it." His voice came out far less angry than he wanted it to, far more hollow and empty. He was just a little tired, and needed some sleep. Especially after all that blood loss and... Yuri looked away, his heart lurching suddenly as his memory was filled with the sight, smell, and feeling of Flynn dying. "I'll see you later."

"Of course." Estelle's voice was quiet, gently pulling the blankets around him. "Let's go, Rita." Her hand encircled the mage's elbow, guiding her to her feet and out the door.

"What was that?" he heard Rita hiss as they left, her voice not even bothering to be low. "I get that his boyfriend just died but not even Yuri's that rude." Estelle murmured something to her, and she made a disgusted noise. "Okay, but this better be good." She closed the door behind them as they exited, leaving Yuri alone in the sterile ward.

Alone, and quiet. There weren't any other patients in the ward at the time, the last one having been a Knight that had knocked a little too hard during training while he was out and been released shortly after he had been stitched up. None of the nurses seemed interested in keeping an eye on the infamous Yuri Lowell, and he didn't blame them. But even in his head was quiet, as if packed with cotton. Even that display of anger felt numb. Yuri looked at his sword hand, turning it as if he could catch even a fleck of remaining blood. The nurses were pretty thorough with their bathing, he thought dimly as he put his hand down. Every trace of his crime was washed away.

The words echoed around him and he pushed away the blankets, scrambling to get out of bed. He had to get out of here. Away from this... place. His eyes lighted upon another, random bed and his vision was suddenly filled with the emaciated figure of Flynn right after Aurnion, fighting for his life.

"I should have known. Ragou, Cumore... you kill whoever you want. You break whatever laws you want."

Yuri shook his head, trying to dislodge the words and sudden image of Flynn hissing the words at him, the stone creeping up his cheek and eyes demonically pale. No, he couldn't stay here. Not with these memories. Yuri stumbled out of the ward, feeling his side pull as he walked. If he didn't move carefully, he would rip open the careful stitching of his wound. His hand came down to hold his side as he walked past the crowds of people, ignoring the stares and whispers. He didn't know where he was going, just... away. Somewhere safe, somewhere he could just sit and catch his breath-

His free hand caught on a doorknob, turning it easily. Unlocked. Blindly, he ducked into the room. It had to be better than there. Less full of the clucking hens, and less full of memories- Yuri lifted his head as he closed the door, his thoughts stopping as his heart lodged in his throat. He was wrong. He was so wrong.

Flynn's armor glinted on the walls, still gleaming from being tended so well. The desk was covered in paper, half of them bearing the familiar half-legible scrawl. Even the smell was familiar, invading every part of him. He had walked straight to Flynn's room without thinking about it, letting the muscle memory of sneaking into here take over. The memory of Flynn's hands on him, his lips, his body pinning him down as he made him scream battled with the confused, mad look on his face as he died, and something broke inside him. A rush of emotion flooded him, bursting painfully from his chest as he collapsed to his knees. It choked him, rushing through his veins from his heart. How could he have done that? Even if Flynn had gone insane like that, how could he have killed him? Yuri dug his hands into his hair, his mouth open in a soundless sob. Flynn had been there ever since they had been children. He knew what kind of person Flynn had been. He wasn't evil, and never could be. He was just sick. How could he have killed him like that, and so easily? His heart beat painfully against his chest, and he released his head to claw at it, wanting to make it stop. His fingers scraped against the medical shirt uselessly, until they encountered a pebbled sized slickness.

And his thoughts stopped. He slowly took off the shirt, unable to breathe. It couldn't be. Without looking, his fingers slid over his chest, a fine tremor starting as he felt an unyielding hardness under his skin right before encountering the sleek surface of the hated stone, embedded in his own chest. A noise started to escape his throat, squeezed out around the heart lodged there, as he started to claw at it. All this started because of this thing. Flynn didn't act completely insane and unlike himself until this thing appeared. Yuri curled up as the thought beat inside his head, the guilt pulsing through his chest. Flynn had been completely normal until this thing, and he had killed him instead of getting him help. And now he had it. He was going to go insane too. He was going to go the same way as the people in Aurnion and his lover.

No. Yuri lifted his head, looking around. He wasn't going to let that happen to him. There should be- yes. He crawled over to Flynn's armor, lifting himself up enough to unsheathe the dagger by its side. Standard issue, just like he had been issued when he was a Knight. Just like what Sodia had stabbed him with at Zaude. He looked at the blade, testing it with his thumb. Of course Flynn had taken good care of it, and it bit easily into the pad. Yuri closed his eyes, taking a breath. Everything felt so clear now. He was going to save everyone around him heartache by not letting them see him fall into the same madness Flynn did. He was going to absolve himself of the crime of killing the one he loved and join him. The truth beat in his chest, fanning out from his heart. He couldn't place the blade through his chest; the stone would prevent that. But... Yuri lifted the blade to his throat, point against his beating pulse.

He had heard sound outside the door all through this. It was a busy day, and people passed by the Commandant's door to make remarks constantly. Through his grief and realization, he had ignored it. When the door opened, it didn't register to him. Not until he heard a familiar voice shriek his name in abject horror and a body slammed into him, knocking him over and making him lose his grip on the dagger. Yuri whipped his head around to who was straddling him, ready to snap at them when he saw the pink hair and tears.

"Why?!" Estelle screamed, her hands fists on his torso. "Haven't we lost enough friends?!" A clatter of armor heralded the arrival of guards, but both of them ignored them as Estelle let out a loud sob, her arms trembling. "I've had enough of this, Yuri! Raven, Flynn... I'm not losing you too!" She lifted one hand, trying to wipe away her tears. "I'm tired of losing the ones I love," she sobbed. "Please, Yuri. Please."

Turning slightly, he reached a shaking hand up to touch her tears, stunned. She stopped him, still called him a friend even after killing Flynn. Exhaustion filled him, crashing over him without warning. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't realize- I thought it would be better this way."

"What do you-" The words died in her throat as she looked down at him, her hands lowering from her face as she caught sight of his chest. "Yuri," she whispered, unable to turn her head away. "How?"

"I don't know."

Estelle's hands hovered over the stone, shaking, then she turned her head, finally acknowledging the soldiers in the doorway. "Get Rita!" she ordered. "Now!" She turned her attention back to Yuri, finally climbing off him. "Are you... okay now?"

Was he? The grief still beat at him, the guilt, the feeling that things would be better if he ended it now. But at the same time- why was he feeling somuch? Why was it overwhelming him so much? "I think so," he told her in a quiet voice. "It's still there. But it's not... like it was. It's not overwhelming me."

She let out a long breath, pulling him into a hug. "I'm sorry," she muttered against his hair, her voice thick with its own guilt. "I should have known. I should have seen you were hurting. I'm sorry I was caught up in my own grief, Yuri, that I didn't see yours."

Yuri shifted, hugging her back as some of the hard emotions shifted, not easing but shifting to something just as overwhelming. He fought back the tears, the need to let it sweep him away. He knew this wasn't him, and he could fight this. He could win. "It's okay, Estelle. It's okay."

She just hugged him tighter, not saying anything. The two of them didn't let go as they heard another Knight approach, and salute them. Estelle merely shifted her head slightly, unwilling to let her friend go. "Where's Rita?" she asked, looking around.

"She's in a meeting," he told her, hesitantly. "Your Highness, His Majesty has requested both of your presences for this meeting."

"We need Rita here." Estelle fixed him with a sharp gaze, and true to his training, he didn't quaver, only went slightly pale.

"You're needed there more. Judith and Duke Pantarei have arrived."


	9. Chapter 9

If things couldn't have gotten worse. She found her lip curling as the news was told to them, her eyes narrowing. Two of their friends, dead, one of them being the whole reason they were going through all this trouble to begin with. And the way that the other was killed... she repressed a shudder, trying not to think about the amount of violence seen in the village of the dead. "We're too late," she muttered. There was movement at her leg, fur brushing past her before he sat, looking up at her quizzically and accusingly with his single eye. She returned the gaze mildly, more used to such distrust from more human and Krityan faces. "Shouldn't you be with Yuri?"

"He was kicked out of the medical ward," came the interruption, the girl crossing her arms. "Dog fur's not exactly good for healing. And he's right; what do you mean you're too late?"

She could see him shaking his head out of the corner of her eye, a blur of white in her vision. "There've been a few things we've found since we've been at the location of where it originated. If we could wait until Yuri arrived-"

"No need." The voice that broke through the air was weary, sorrowful, but unmistakable. She turned rapidly to see him walk in, leaning heavily on the tiny princess, pale and weak. The blood loss and pain were clear in every line of his body, and her eyes couldn't help but be drawn to the fresh pale pink scratch on his throat, barely hidden by the tunic he wore provided by the medical ward. Hot fury burst in her chest, racing through her veins to shiver in her fingertips as she took a deep breath, the memory of losing herself so close to that horrific site still close at hand. He stopped a bit away from her, looking around the room. "So. What are we talking about?"

* * *

Repede's head butted against his leg, hard enough to make him stumble a bit. Something about being taken over by unnaturally overwhelming grief and feeling something constantly pulse under one's skin kinda took it out of him. Was this how Flynn had felt every day as he planned his escape and hoped the sound he heard outside the shed was one of them? Or after he returned to Zaphias, and his last weeks of life as he battled both the traumatic memories and the teetering emotions? His chest painfully contracted in emotion as he remembered, guilt and sorrow gripping him with unavoidable claws. Flynn had been battling something horrible, how dare he cut him down before he had a chance to save him-

Someone pinched his arm, and he looked down at Estelle's fiercely worried face. "Yuri," she whispered, the volume low to try to hide the trembling from everyone else. "Please. You said you were okay now."

Yuri's mouth opened at that, ready to dispute what she said when he heard a soft, worried whine by his leg. Repede looked up at him, his eye steady. If he was acting so unlike himself that his dog was worried, he needed to reevaluate what was actually his feelings. He nodded instead, looking back up at everyone. Ioder's face was blank, but his eyes were blatantly worried. Rita and Judy had curious faces, though Judy seemed to be holding herself a bit tightly. Then again, she had just come back from Aurnion, and the memories of that place still haunted him. Duke...

Duke was a hard read, and always had been. His face was studiously blank, carefully watching Yuri. Which was odd, why would he be watching him so- "You know something," Yuri breathed, letting go of Estelle to stumble closer to him. "You fucking know something." He could kick Duke's ass for that. Knowing what's going on and taking his dear sweet time getting back? He could have saved Flynn's life! Heat flared through his chest and down his body as he reached out to grab the man.

"Yuri." Judy took his arm, intent on leading him to a chair. He started to pull out of her grasp, feeling insulted. He wasn't a damned child! He didn't need anyone looking after him like he was an invalid. It was just a stab, and if Sodia could get him in the chest and he could be up and saving the world (albet weeks) after that, then he didn't need to be coddled like this. The rage swept him, then faded when Repede growled, a slight whine at the end. It made him stop, to hear such a noise from his companion, and think for a moment. No, he didn't need to be coddled... but he was swaying on his feet. He did need to sit down. Yuri took a breath, nodding to her instead as he sat and ignoring as she exchanged a look with everyone else in the room. She could exchange all the looks she wanted. Judy took a step back, her motions oddly careful. "We don't know anything. But we have a theory."

Yuri looked up at her sharply, then over at Duke's intent face. "A theory?"

Duke nodded, smoothly moving forward. "The behavior of the animals around the site was what first tipped me off," he started. "As you get closer, there are fewer and fewer animals to the point there are none. Animals will avoid areas are infected and will make them ill. That was supported by the bodies: none of them had signs of scavengers. The supposed blastia, I believe, isn't any sort of blastia at all, but an infectious agent."

The world went still, then sideways. Yuri felt hands on his shoulders, but ignored them. Infection. Flynn had been infected. No, not just Flynn. Hewas infected. "How?" he finally choked out. "How would someone get it?"

There was a hesitation, then Duke shaked his head. "From a best guess, the usual one might catch such an infection. Blood or other bodily fluids entering into an open wound. That isn't my area of expertise, however."

Blood. Flynn had bled all over him, and his side- Yuri's breath started coming faster as he felt his gorge rise, almost unable to fight the unnatural panic. If Estelle had been just a second later, she would have been exposed to his infected blood. No, she already had been, she and Rita. His face swung up as he lost control on the induced horror, looking between the two girls. "Fuck," he managed. Yuri scrambled to his feet, shoving Judy away viciously when she came over in alarm. "Get the fuck away from me. All of you. Stay far away, or you're going to regret it."

Estelle's eyes widened as things clicked into place for her, she being the only one having seen the stone shining dully in his chest. She stood in front of him, every bit of her holding fear and determination. "No, Yuri." She ignored Rita hissing her name in alarm, imposing herself between the him and the door. "We're not going to regret it."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Rita finally exploded, stomping over. Fear was written in her own face, but aimed in a different direction. More towards Estelle, and the fear that their actions would harm her. "Look, I get your boyfriend just died, and trust me, I'd be pretty fucked up too if someone killed Estelle, but this is really not like you. You're a regular asshole, not a fucking one, and you sure as hell don't flip out like this. So you better have a damn good reason for why you're not acting like yourself."

"That's just it, Rita," came Estelle's muted voice. "He's not acting like himself. It's exactly like how Flynn was."

Judy's head swung around as soon as she heard that, and without a word, she stomped over and grabbed the bottom of the thin shirt the nurses insisted everyone kept in the medical ward wear, pulling it up in a motion so swift he didn't have time to object. He was close enough to her to see her eyes flinch as she caught sight of the stab wound on his side... and the realization when hemline rose past his shoulders. "What the hell?" Rita spluttered as she saw the stone embedded in his chest, her own eyes going round. "That wasn't there when we left you."

"Hm." With just the noise, he could hear Duke reconsidering everything he had been thinking. Judy let go of his shirt, stepping back.

"Yuri, if you could sit back down?" Ioder finally interrupted. "I think we all need to talk about this and figure this out. And my cousin is right, we won't regret this. We're going to try to cure you, and stop the spread of whatever this is." Estelle nodded, cautiously moving towards him. Her hands gently took his arms as she looked up at him, her gaze slightly unsteady in its worry.

Didn't they understand, though? This was what Flynn had been battling. If it was an infection, he could spread it to them and they could go just as insane. He opened his mouth to say just that, and Estelle's gloved hand covered it. "No," she told him gently. "You're not getting out of this one. I told you... I'm tired of losing my friends." With those words, she carefully lead him back to his seat and didn't let go until he reclaimed it. A small relieved smile crossed her face when he did, and she stepped away as Repede started nudging her aside. Without thinking about it, Yuri's hands dug into his fur as he took a deep breath.

Was this how Flynn had felt this entire time, overwhelmed by emotions he knew weren't him but unable to stop it? Yuri closed his eyes, teeth gritting against the wave of horror at the thought. That each time he lost his temper and horribly hurt someone he knew it was wrong and was fighting it?

"It's too good to be true. It's another dream. Just... another dream."

The memory of finding Flynn in Aurnion popped into his head, the haunted tone of his weak voice, and his stomach turned again. Flynn barely knew what was reality those first few weeks as he battled for his life. Who knew if he actually could tell if his emotions were real or manipulated? They weren't going to be able to ask now. Yuri's hands clenched hard on Repede's fur, barely paying attention to the low growl coming from the dog. No, he wasn't going to follow that line of thought. He told Estelle everything was okay, and if he followed it, he ran the risk of exposing the people he cared for to whatever the fuck was infecting him. No. Besides, no goddamn infection was going to get the best of Yuri Lowell. He could figure out what was him and what was being heightened by whatever's inside him. Yeah. He could do this. Slowly, he opened his eyes, taking a deep breath and looking around at the eyes on him. "What?" he asked, forcing his lips into a parody of his usual cheeky smile. "Don't stop talking on my account."

A collective breath released as several people returned his smile, similarly strained. It wasn't anything to smile about, but... they had to try. "How do you treat infections, though?" Rita asked, pacing as the nervous energy from confronting him was bled out. "I would think an Apple Gel or two to help the immune system flush it out but they just don't w-" She stopped, her head raising as something occurred to her.

"Rita?" Estelle walked over to her lover, taking her hand in a tight grip. "What is it?"

"I'm starting to doubt it is an infection as it is," Duke followed up, frowning. "As you said, this just appeared. I'm not sure it would take this long to finally reveal itself. Do you have an expert on infections in the castle-"

"It's like when one of my experiments is contaminated," Rita interrupted, her thoughts finally cohesive. "Everything about my experiments changes when it's contaminated, and nothing I do does what I expect. Yuri can't take Gels or healing artes anymore. It looks like they connect and just not work, but when you really look, something stops them from actually making it to where they need to be. It could still be an infection or something like that."

"Well, that's easy enough to fix," Judy finally piped up, lightly. "Duke, can you pass me your sword, two Apple Gels, and a Panacea Bottle?"

Yuri stood suddenly, releasing Repede's fur as he growled at her. "Oh no you don't. You aren't sticking me and shoving those down my throat to see if they work." His heart hammered through his entire upper body, threatening to turn into that unnatural panic with a hint of anger. "I'll drink the Panacea Bottle but I don't need to be a damn lab rat and be poked, prodded, and have shit shoveled in my face as we try to figure out how to fix it."

Judy gave him a flat look and held out her hand to Duke. Yuri's mouth opened again, breath indrawn to continue his rant when, instead of taking the offered sword, she merely unsheathed it and sliced her own hand open. The words stumbled into sudden concern and strange anger as Estelle, Rita, and Ioder made a movement towards her. Oddly enough, Repede instead started growling, his nose twitching. She ignored all of that, holding up her bleeding hand for all of them to see as she popped an Apple Gel in her mouth.

The words lodged in his throat came out in sharp profanity as the wound failed to heal. "Okay, that I fucking don't understand," Yuri said heatedly. "You didn't have Flynn bleeding all over you. And while we were at Aurnion, there was no way we could have gotten it into us."

"And how the hell did you know?" Rita followed up as Estelle reflexively chanted a fast First Aid, the arte having the same effect as the Apple Gel. "You don't exactly have a... fuck." Her eyes grew round as thoughts connected. "Yuri was acting weird before we saw the stone. Judy, were you-?" She looked between Judy and Duke, and Yuri had to fight back a sudden wave of jealousy as the two of them passed a meaningful glance between each other then nodded.

"On our way to the site she had found, something overtook her and caused her to start attacking me," Duke reported, handing Judy a Panacea Bottle. She popped it open one handed and downed it quickly while he continued. "It took quite a bit for her to come back to herself." As he gave her another Apple Gel, testing to see if the Panacea Bottle worked, Yuri found himself diving at her.

She was infected too. How could she risk infecting everyone else? A growl escaped his throat as he reached out to strangle her, his hands deftly knocked away by hers. Judy's eyes lit with a fierce glow as she twisted, her uninjured hand tightening into a fist and connecting with his face. The impact was stronger than he was used to her from her, but it didn't matter. She was a threat, to him, to everyone he cared about. One of Yuri's hands grabbed the wrist of her injured hand, the other fist aimed right at her stomach. Judy doubled over briefly, before shifting her weight onto one foot, bringing her knee up into his torso as she straightened up. Her wrist twisted expertly, breaking his grasp, and she moved to smash her elbow into his nose. He intercepted the movement with his other hand, spinning her slightly as he pushed her elbow away and right into his other fist, splitting her lip.

And then something hit the both of them in the head, stunning them. Duke grabbed Judy, looping his arms under hers and holding her back in a calm hold as Repede, Rita, and Estelle tag teamed him, the two slight girls using all their strength to hold his wrists while Repede sat on him. When he nearly broke free, Estelle's hand moved, holding another Pow Hammer. "Stop it, Yuri!" she screamed at him, the words on the edge of panic. "Please!"

"She's infected!" he yelled back at her, using a burst of strength to throw Rita and Repede off, reaching over to grab Estelle. "And she's risking getting everyone else infected too!"

The Pow Hammer flew, hitting him in the head and stunning him briefly again. When he managed to shake some of it off, he felt gauntleted hands picking him up, throwing him over an armored shoulder. A guard, he thought blearily, shaking his head slightly. "Take him back to the medical ward," Estelle was saying, almost distantly. "Please... be careful. Don't hurt him. Anything that's happened here... it's not his fault. I promise."

Then he was taken out of the room, held firmly by strong arms as exhaustion crashed into him and knocked him out.

* * *

Her arm hurt. That wasn't something she was expecting. Judy carefully wrapped up the cut on her hand, keeping her breathing steady as she did so, her mouth filled with the conflicting flavors of apple and blood. It was something to focus on, something that wasn't what had just happened. That Yuri had just attacked her like that, intent on seriously hurting her or even killing her.

That she felt a fierce rush in response to it, and wanted to kill him in return.

"The Panacea Bottle didn't work," Estelle said in a muted voice, her head averted. It was just the three girls, Repede having left to sneak into the medical ward while Duke and Ioder left to talk about other things. More than likely, related to Aurnion, how to deal with the possible infection growing there, and how to approach that. Eventually, a scavenging animal would become too hungry to ignore the fact it wasn't safe, and if animals started spreading this... she suppressed a shiver at the thought. Just she and Yuri infected in Zaphias was bad enough. "What now?"

"I don't know," Judy confessed, rolling her aching shoulder. Fist fights were nothing new to her, so why did she hurt so much now? "If it's an infection or some kind of ailment, that should have cleared it up."

"What if it's like Halure?" Estelle looked up, at everyone. "The tree barrier there was dying when we stopped by. It was being poisoned. Karol tried a Panacea Bottle to heal the tree barrier first, and that didn't work. It wasn't enough. What if that's what this is, that we're on the right track, but we need something more?"

Rita blinked, then snapped her fingers. "That might be it, Estelle! How did you fix it last time?"

Estelle hesitated, her cheek growing pink. "I kind of... cast a really big arte to cure it. I think I might be able to do it again, but-"

"But what?" Rita leaned forward, frowning. "This should work! I mean, you've done this before."

Estelle shook her head. "It's not exactly like Halure, though. The tree was poisoned. It's nothing like this... thing. I can try, but I don't know if it'll work. And if it does, it doesn't change the fact that Aurnion is a site just rife with this... I can't keep casting like that to heal everyone that gets infected trying to deal with this." She looked over at Judy, her face puzzled. "Is your shoulder hurting you?"

Judy shook her head, more interested in the possibility of curing this. "It's nothing. So what if you go to the source and heal it there? Nothing to infect, no one to get infected."

"That..." Estelle blinked, looking at Rita. "But where would it be? Would that even work?"

Despite everything, Judy found her lips curling into a smile. "I think I might have an idea."


End file.
